The third season of Only Murders in the Building has been a crash course for anyone unfamiliar with the world of theater, which is very different from film. The vocabularies, the tricks, the rehearsals, the dressing rooms, and, of course, the superstitions, which go far beyond not wishing someone luck before going on stage (so as not to bring bad luck) or an actor saying “Macbeth”. In the case of the series, it is the ‘ghost’ of Gideon Goosebury, an actor who died at the premiere of a play and now casts the musical Death Rattle, created by Oliver (Martin Short).

As Howard Morris (Michael Cyril Creighton) explains in the opening, Gideon needs a series of actions to not frighten the cast, such as “sweeping the stage before the performance”. Howard “failed” precisely on opening night and would have contributed to Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) being murdered. Among what we see in the episode, the light on for the ghosts of the theater is a fact! Did you know? Let’s remember some of them.

1- The fear of (saying) Macbeth

This one is serious: actors only call Shakespeare’s classic “the Scottish play”. If you call it by name, and inside the theater, it’s bad luck for sure. And it is worthy of so many jokes (the video below is one of them) that everyone wants to provoke actors, but the superstitious respect it. Reciting any phrase from the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, also by the English bard, brings balance if someone says “Macbeth”. Or, if memory serves, recite the line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “If we shadows offend, think, but this and all is mended, that you only slept here, while these visions appeared.” But reciting is not enough; you have to leave the theater, spin three times in a circle, and spit.

No one is quite sure how the superstition came to be, but as there is witchcraft in the story, it doesn’t help. Others say that the original actor who played Macbeth tragically died during the performance, and the show has been cursed ever since. There is no proof. But just in case…

2- Wishing for an accident is luck

Well, in French, you want “shit” before going on stage, simply a word that sums up everything bad. In English, it is more specific, instead of good luck, which brings bad luck, if you want the actor to “break a leg”.

The belief is that mischievous spirits on stage use their magic to force the opposite of what you want to happen, but it could be something more technical. The word leg would be a reference to the aisles, or theatrical curtains that try to hide the backstage so that the public does not see how the play is being put together. These curtains, in English, are known as “legs”. “Break a leg” means that the actor has gone backstage onto the stage. Doesn’t seem to make much sense with superstition, does it?

3-The ghost light has to stay on

As we see in Only Murders in the Building, traditionally, there really is a light that stays on in the theater, and that has to stay on. While the superstition is that light keeps ghosts away, there is a greater rationale. And practice! As there are many potential pitfalls, such as open trapdoors and orchestra pits that can be dangerous if a person falls, apart from other stage elements, the “ghost” light remains on in the center of the stage when all other lights are turned off. Once again, the name “ghost” contributes to the fact that the spirits of artists have an illuminated area to work there. No spawning new ghosts!

4- Whistling backstage at a theater is considered bad luck

There is also a reference in the episode of Only Murders in the Building, with the sandbags falling that help to close or open the curtains. But somewhat different. In fact, the superstition is that whistling backstage is bad luck. That’s because in the old days, the scenery was lifted manually with ropes, and the stagehands gave each other tips by whistling. An unsuspecting actor whistled the men thought it was a sign, and he was nearly crushed to death by the sandbags. That way, to have fewer ghosts, the unlucky whistle rule came up. Justified!

5- There is no Gideon Gooseberry, but the ghost of David Belasco

The Gideon Goosebury reference is double-referenced in OMIBT because the Belasco Theater on 44th Street off Broadway has one of the most famous ghosts in the theatrical world. The theater is named after impresario David Belasco, who was once nicknamed “The Bishop of Broadway,” and his ghost is said to be obsessed with overseeing everything on the premises. Many claim to have seen his spirit sitting alone on the porch or wandering the halls. In the series, there is an explanation of what is happening, but the superstitious respect any situation of spiritual respect.

Pesquisar

Pesquisar