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Obama screws up "royally" this time
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:07 pm
by dlbpharmd
In Ford’s Theater, Obama invokes forbidden word
Posted: 12:19 PM ET
On a trip to Ford’s Theater, site of President Lincoln’s assassination, Obama paid tribute to the 16th president’s ability to recall passages of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — It’s a word so fraught with superstition, its very mention can send grown men ducking for cover — and President Obama used it Wednesday night.
Macbeth.
On a trip to Ford’s Theater, site of President Lincoln’s assassination, Obama paid tribute to the 16th president’s ability to recall passages of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth. And with that reference, he unwittingly ventured into what many theater hands believe to be dangerous territory: any mention of the name of the doomed Scottish king in a theater outside of a performance is considered verboten by many actors, who believe it will result in a cursed production — including a greater possibility of injury, bankruptcy, even death.
So does Obama have anything to fear from uttering the unluckiest word in what may be the unluckiest theater in American history? Theater-goers can relax: Many stage afficianados believe that the prohibition only applies to performers or theater hands, and non-actors have nothing to worry about.
But in the near future, the president might want to stick to movies. Just to be on the safe side.
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:25 pm
by danlo
I don't get it. I'm not very superstitious...(except when it comes to the NFL
)
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:33 pm
by Worm of Despite
I suggest this topic be moved to the Close, and we make Ontological arguments about it.
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:53 pm
by Cagliostro
Oops....that's it...he's dead. But the question is, will be the ghost of John Wilkes Booth or someone from the material plane of existence?
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 7:39 pm
by dANdeLION
Perhaps saying an unlucky word in an unlucky place cancels out the unluckiness.
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:01 pm
by Cagliostro
That only works in multiplication. Then again, he has been fruitful and multiplied, so that might just count.
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:36 am
by stonemaybe
A very clever move. Now, if he messes anything up, anyone superstitious will blame the fact that he mentioned the Scottish king, instead of blaming him!
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:12 pm
by Fist and Faith
I suspect hundreds of thousands of non-actors and non-stage hands have mentioned Macbeth in theaters while not performing the play, so those afficianados may be on to something.
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:56 am
by magickmaker17
wow, I'm a techie, and I don't say that word even when I'm not performing or being a stage hand, anywhere near a theatre, if I can avoid it.
Theatre people get really worked up if you say the name of the Scottish Play inside their space. And I mean *really* worked up.
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:50 am
by Elfgirl
Aw damn...& I peeked at this topic hoping Obama had said "F**K"...
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:15 am
by Fist and Faith
magickmaker17 wrote:wow, I'm a techie, and I don't say that word even when I'm not performing or being a stage hand, anywhere near a theatre, if I can avoid it.
Theatre people get really worked up if you say the name of the Scottish Play inside their space. And I mean *really* worked up.
Jeez! I didn't know Macb-th was such an issue. How do they rehearse???
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:10 pm
by magickmaker17
Fist and Faith wrote:magickmaker17 wrote:wow, I'm a techie, and I don't say that word even when I'm not performing or being a stage hand, anywhere near a theatre, if I can avoid it.
Theatre people get really worked up if you say the name of the Scottish Play inside their space. And I mean *really* worked up.
Jeez! I didn't know Macb-th was such an issue. How do they rehearse???
It's different if you're performing it. Then you're allowed to say it, but you still probably won't say it any more than you absolutely have to. And bad things still happen to the actors and stage hands who are performing the Scottish Play. I once saw a production that was made up of about half understudies because half of the main cast could not perform. And one of the men who could perform had gotten into a car accident and had to use a cane to walk around the stage.
Theatre people don't mess around with that word.
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:52 pm
by Auleliel
My English teacher in high school performed in the Scottish Play once, and he had one of his fingers nearly cut off during the performance.
I heard about another performance a long time ago during which somebody threw half of a dead sheep on the stage. I always wondered what happened to the other half.
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:41 pm
by sgt.null
kind of like nascar drivers not eating peanuts at the track...