Even before Will Smith was back in his seat after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Twitter was already lighting up with tweets from attentive viewers who had, just moments before, heard Rock tell Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington: “Denzel. Macbeth. Loved it”.
In doing so, Rock, onstage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, had failed to adhere to one of the most famous superstitions in theatre: you don’t mention the Scottish play by name.
Following the slap came the news this week that a production of Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig as the treacherous king-slayer, was forced to cancel a preview performance just moments before curtain-up after a cast member tested positive for Covid-19.
Craig himself then came down with the virus the following day, as did a third cast member, shutting down the show ahead of its April 28 opening night after they ran out of understudies.
Having been associated with bad luck since it was first performed more than 400 years ago, misfortune has become part of the folklore surrounding Macbeth, but where did the stories come from? And did witches really curse the play?
Murder, mayhem and hurricanes: Shakespeare’s ‘cursed’ play
The history of Macbeth is steeped in superstition, both factual and fiction, all of which have become entangled over time. According to theatre lore, the play’s link to bad luck began during its first performance, most likely at King James’s court in late 1606. The unsubstantiated tale has it that Hal Berridge, the actor playing Lady Macbeth, died suddenly and William Shakespeare was forced to step in to play the role himself.
During a 17th-century performance in London, actor Henry Harris who was playing Macduff, accidentally killed the actor playing Macbeth while enacting the duel scene.
A London performance in November 1703 coincided with a category two hurricane that ripped through the capital, while an argument over a stage invasion by a nobleman at a 1721 performance resulted in the theatre being burnt to the ground.
In New York, during aperformance at the Astor Place Opera House on May 10, 1849, more than 10,000 people gathered to protest against the appearance of British actor William Charles Macready. At the time, he was embroiled in a public war of words with American actor Edwin Forrest, who was starring in a competing production of Macbeth nearby. The protest escalated into a riot that killed 22 people.
One of the most famous stories involving the alleged curse concerns US president Abraham Lincoln. He read scenes from the play aloud to his friends while aboard the boat River Queen on April 9, 1865. Within a week, Lincoln was shot dead by an assassin while attending the theatre.
Laurence, Gielgud and Heston all fall foul
The cloak of calamity that shrouds Macbeth isn’t only the preserve of olden times. During a 1934 run at London's Old Vic Theatre, the production went through four Macbeths in the space of a week.
In 1937, British actor Laurence Olivier was part of another production of the play at Old Vic, during which an 11-kilogram weight fell from the ceiling, missing him by inches.
More intriguingly, the Old Vic's founder, Lilian Baylis died of a heart attack just before the final dress rehearsal. Seventeen years later, the next time Macbeth was performed there, the portrait of Baylis in the theatre fell from the wall on opening night.
A 1942 production, which starred Sir John Gielgud, had three members of its cast die, while a 1953 open-air performance with Charlton Heston resulted in the actor suffering severe burns after his tights were accidentally soaked in kerosene.
What’s behind the Macbeth ‘curse’, and how to break it?
Theatrical folklore has long held that Shakespeare used real incantations when creating the dialogue for the three witches who tell Macbeth the prophecy. Legend has it that a coven of witches, angry at the Bard for appropriating their spells, cursed the play.
More pragmatically, the curse story could have originated from how expensive it was for theatres to stage the play, which often resulted in them running into financial difficulties.
More logically still, any play that has been continuously performed for more than 400 years is bound to have suffered some misfortune along the way.
Whatever the reason, the word Macbeth is not allowed to be spoken in the theatre, and is instead referred to as “the Scottish play”. When referring to the character Macbeth, he is called the "Scottish king”.
Traditionally, anyone who utters the name has to carry out a cleansing ritual, some of which include leaving the theatre and not re-entering until invited to do so, or turning around three times and spitting on the ground.
It is also common practice to quickly recite a line from another one of Shakespeare's plays that is optimistic in nature, with: “Angels and ministers of grace defend us” from act one of Hamlet a favourite.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The%20Roundup
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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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More on Palestine-Israeli relations
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
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Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
