Is it bad luck to say 'Macbeth' and 'good luck' in front of a theater that has the play Macbeth?

Question

i heard some actors/actresses were to either get injured or die if those particular words were said. sounds like a curse

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I believe that no one, who is connected with the theater, says the play title "Macbeth" anywhere (not just in a theater) - it is always called 'the Scottish play' whenever a theater person refers to it. So if an actor was being interviewed on a radio show, the actor would say 'that Scottish play' even though he/she was not in an actual theater.
About 'good luck' - again, no one would say that to a theater person anywhere (e.g., in their living room, or sidewalk, or in a theater) - but rather just says 'break a leg' as a counter-jinx phrase.

Answer 2

It is a curse and it's not just if they're doing Macbeth, it's if your in a theatre or talking to an actor. That's why people say break a leg.

Answer 3

according to the ledgend, if you say Macbeth in any theater (except when the actors are acting it) then it is bad luck. Punishments according to the curse vary.

Answer 4

Macbeth is considered a cursed play by many theater people, so cursed in fact that even saying the word 'Macbeth' aloud in a theater causes shows to fail, people to be injured, things to go wrong. That's why you'll hear theater people refer to it as 'the Scottish play' instead.

Saying 'good luck' is considered bad luck, as well, hence why most people wish bad luck upon the actors before they perform (break a leg!).

Answer 5

Supposedly, like in that one episode of the Simpsons. but i dont believe in curses.

Answer 6

Probably.

Answer 7

many actors are supersititious and believe that. That's why instead of saying good luck, you say, "break a leg", and instead of saying MacBeth, you say "that Scottish play".

Answer 8

Macbeth is considered bad luck all the time. You also aren't supposed to say good things when acting because you'll jinx yourself, so instead you say bad things, "break a leg".

But behold I am the true rarity, a non-superstitious actor.

Answer 9

The reason 'Macbeth" is supposed to be cursed is that it was written for James I of England (James VI of Scotland) and that it showed James' accesion to the English throne through the Stuart line of Banquo. James was a student of witchcraft. He didn't practise it, he just studied it. He wrote an anti-witchcraft book "A Treatise on Demonology."So to make the play more realistic for James Shakespeare is said to have written real spells and curses into the play.

Answer 10

If you say "Macbeth" onstage (unless you're performing Macbeth), it's a curse and you have to unjinx it. Saying it in front of a theater or anywhere but onstage is fine, I think.
Saying good luck is also a jinx. If you say that to an actor, the curse supposedly is that the show will not go well that night. You say, "Break a leg" instead.
Actors are all very very superstitious. In the acting company I'm in, we have a chant we have to say before the show starts or the show won't go well, for example.