Episode #250 - Is Macbeth Cursed?
Our Fake History
PodcastOne
4.7 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2026
⏱️ 78 minutes
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Summary
Every theatre kid can tell you that Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth is a cursed play. Some believe that even saying the name of the play in a theatre where it is not being performed can jinx a production. Stories of misfortune, injury, and death haunt productions of Macbeth like the ghost of a slain friend. It has been suggested that the curse of Macbeth goes all the way back to it's first performance in 1606. However, evidence of this is sketchy at best. When did people start believing that there was a hex on Macbeth? Does it date to the 17th century or is something else going on here? Tune-in and find out how an arrow through Laurence Olivier's leg, Shakespeare in drag, and Charlton Heston's flaming thighs all play a role in the story.
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Transcript
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| 0:37.1 | Friends, there's an image I can't get out of my head. |
| 0:41.6 | And it's Charlton Heston's flaming thighs. |
| 0:46.8 | Perhaps I should explain. |
| 0:50.1 | The year was 1953, and the actor who would soon be elevated to the level of Hollywood superstar, |
| 0:57.5 | thanks to his role in Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic, The Ten Commandments, |
| 1:02.0 | was still paying his dues as an aspiring leading man on both stage and screen. |
| 1:08.8 | In November of that year, he got the opportunity to star in a production |
| 1:12.6 | of Shakespeare's Macbeth that was being mounted in a unique outdoor theater on the island of |
| 1:19.9 | Bermuda. The play was being directed by the celebrated American actor and director, Burgess Meredith. |
| 1:27.9 | He's one of those uber- legends of American drama, who is ironically best |
| 1:34.4 | known for being the penguin on the Campy 60s Batman TV show and Mickey from Rocky. |
| 1:41.4 | This production in Bermuda was notable for its inventive stage and lighting design. |
| 1:47.7 | The outdoor amphitheater also provided interesting opportunities for novel stage business, |
| 1:53.3 | like Charlton Heston's memorable entrance in the first act, riding bareback on a horse. |
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