Screwing up Shakespeare: Why imperfect theatre is so great

Some years ago, during a production of Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon, one of the actors missed his entrance. I don’t remember the exact cue line but it was something like “and behold, he comes!”… and he didn’t. When the line was delivered a second time and he still didn’t appear, the production was paused and the actors left the stage — presumably to go find him.

The audience (myself included) didn’t seem to mind a jot, in fact they loved it!

Now, the same attitude probably wouldn’t apply in a restaurant if the chef messed up your meal — in fact, you might resent paying full price. But with theatre, moments like the Macbeth missed entrance somehow make your tickets feel even more valuable.

And I think that’s the point — value is synonymous with scarcity. We like to know that something we’ve bought or experienced is unique and what’s more unique than a hiccup in a live show?

Bizarrely, the same goes for those backstage, who often get a certain macabre enjoyment from things not quite going to plan. Don’t get me wrong, no performer wants to see things get totally ballsed up, but a certain level of risk and unpredictability is part of what makes theatre so fun.

The slow turn of heads in the dressing room, as the live feed from the stage veers further and further off script… waiting, wide eyed to see if our friends in the spotlight can claw it back… rejoicing as they find that crucial foothold… and the explosion of energy and stifled exclamations as they emerge backstage, victorious, amidst frantic “shhh”ing from the Stage Manager.

As long as things don’t go too wrong, that kind of shared ‘moment’ can bring cast members closer and become a story that get’s recounted for years to come.

It goes without saying that, for the most part, nobody (neither in the audience nor on stage) wants things to go really wrong. Big mistakes are no fun for anyone and their effect also depends on the tone of the production but minor slip-ups can set a performance apart from the others in its run. For better or worse, that unique moment in time is stamped as “the one when that thing happened”, and anecdotes are abundant.

So next time you watch or take part in a show and things don’t quite go to plan, count it as a win. After all, the actor I most fondly remember from Macbeth… is the one who wasn’t there.