In an Oldham Coliseum repertory theatre production of Macbeth on February the 27th 1947 ....
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| MacBeth Ends With Sword Fight |
..... the play was ending in the traditional sword fight between Macbeth and Macduff.
But to save money on expensive fake swords (the UK was broke after WWII, and rationing was in full force), real swords were used instead.
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| Newspaper Report Of Norman Death |
The actor playing Macbeth, Harold Norman, was fatally stabbed in the chest and died shortly afterwards.
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| Harold Norman Killed While Playing MacBeth |
His ghost is still said the haunt the building on Fairbottom Street, which opened in 1885. Ironically Harold Norman, was non-superstitious, and refused to follow theatrical tradition of renaming the play 'The Scottish Play' when it came to discussing MacBeth ......
The superstition about not using the plays real name allegedly stems from a belief that Shakespeare used the spells of real witches in his text, purportedly angering the witches and causing them to curse the play. However according to the late Sir Donald Sinden its not the most unlucky Shakespeare play as 'More actors have died during performances of Hamlet than in the "Scottish play"' ... Noticeably he didn't say MacBeth.
Various actors have suggested ways to get rid of any bad luck if anyone uses the name out loud ... they are of course, all simply a matter of personal belief, including the suggestion of Sir Patrick Stewart that "if you have played the role of the Scottish thane, then you are allowed to say the title, any time anywhere" ... noticeably he still avoided using the name MacBeth.
Superstitions are hard to shake .... touch wood.
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