Irish `Hamlet' suffers abrupt end in sword mishap

[n2doc]

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

(03-22) 05:43 PDT DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) --

Good night, stunned prince.

An audience watching an Irish production of "Hamlet" has been shocked to see the prince exit the stage too soon — when a sword fight really wounded the star.

Conor Madden, playing the title character of Shakespeare's tragedy, suffered a gash beneath his eye and collapsed at Monday's production in the southwest city of Cork. He was hospitalized but released.

Many playgoers thought the wound was part of the act. Artistic director Alan Stanford took the stage to say the blood and moans were real, and Hamlet couldn't continue without the prince.

Madden is missing Tuesday's two performances at Cork's Everyman Theatre but may return Wednesday, when Hamlet is expected to resume shuffling off this mortal coil in line with the script.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/03/22/international/i054347D05.DTL

[hlthe2b]

1. whew... I thought from the title, he'd been killed on stage...

Yes, those sword fights can be intense and dangerous. I remember an interview with Kenneth Brannagh after his epic film version of Hamlet--on that score. I believe he and crew suffered some mild mishaps.

[liberal N proud]

2. Same here

[JuniperLea]

4. Theatre isn't for the faint of heart!

Scary

[monmouth]

10. Neither is Hamlet..LOL....n/t

[WatsonT]

3. As long as we live in a society that fetishizes swords these incidents will be inevitable

license and regulate them! No military style swords at all.

[Duende azul]

11. Swords are fine. Direct and personal. Guns are for cowards, drones even more.

[Dappleganger]

12. Are you kidding?

This stuff sells tickets!

Spiderman the Musical is doing great because of the possibility that someone else may get hurt, too.

[bengalherder]

5. That actually happened to my DH

They had a sword malfunction while he was playing Macduff (pommel began to come off one). Everyone marvelled at the realism, and my DH managed to finish the play (about five minutes), blood and all.

He bemoaned his duelling scar for awhile but when it began to fade, he said he would miss it. It's now quite faint, but I think it's sexy. ;)

PS, when he later played Laertes, I think he would have gladly been the one to do that to their Hamlet. :D

[Tesha]

6. "Midsomer Murders" comes to life!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0647484/

Death of a Hollow Man (Episode #1.3)

[roguevalley]

14. I have that ep. Love that series. Love the midsomer countryside.

[Travelman]

7. Could have been worse ...

He could have been playing Yorick. :o

[Bucky]

8. Pfff, what a loser. I got run through with a foil during "Cyrano de Bergerac"

and by God I finished my scene before seeking any first aid! Actors today are such pussies. As Stanislavky said... "Sometimes the Method comes to you." (or maybe that was Yakov Smirnoff)

[PCIntern]

9. that's nothing...

I was shot eleven times by real bullets when I was an extra on the film Commando, with Ahnold. Three of my limbs had to be reattached and they used my ear cartilage to replace my nose. Don't give me pussy 'swordfights'...

[roguevalley]

13. love Cork. Love Ireland.

[IDemo]

15. Obligatory YouTube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eMkth8FWno

[bobbolink]

16. I was at a performance of "The Vagabond King" at Central City Opera

and there was a wonderfully choreographed sword fight scene.

In the middle of the buckling of the swashes, one of the men got the other's sword wrong, and it went straight up in the air..... then came straight down.... into the orchestra pit.

It sliced through a violinist's bow.

Needless to say, all on-stage action came to a halt.

Oh, for live performances!