Whistling In The Theatre and 'Break A Leg'

To whistle anywhere in a theatre has always been considered bad luck, but to whistle on stage used to be thought to put a curse on a play and cause subsequent doom. The popular explanation of this goes back to the time when many playhouses were situated near docks, sometimes in hemp warehouses, and seafarers were used as casual labour or extra stage hands.To operate the complex scenery drops and rigging, a coded series of whistles would be used. These would be known and understood by the sailors, who of course operated such rigging on board their own vessels. To whistle on  stage could confuse the crew and might have disastrous results for the actors below, as a sand bag or heavy rope might come crashing down). If you recall in my last article, Sir Laurence Olivier was narrowly missed by a sandbag during a performance of MacBeth, maybe that was a result of 'non naval whistling'?) Personally, I still don't understand how all this whistling above the set didn't confuse both the actors AND the audience, but there you have it, the only explanation I have been able to find.Life certainly seems less hazardous these days with intercom and cue light systems! 

Now when it comes to 'lovies' wishing one another,'Break a leg!', the theories are a lot more interesting.

Going as far  back as Greek theatre, an audience would not clap but stamp their feet in appreciation. Could this have been the origin of the phrase? In other words, 'May the audience stamp so much someone breaks a leg' and by so doing deflect bad luck away from the play. It's not likely, as the phrase only occurs in English and no Greek related languages. 

Neither does the theory that the phrase stems from an incident in American theatre, hold much credulity. It is said that after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, who was at one time an aspiring actor himself, leapt onto the stage, breaking his leg in the process. A logical connection with good luck is non too clear ! 

More likely is the explanation that 'to break a leg' in Shakespearean times meant to lower the leg in a bow, therefore, take a lot of bows. This ties in with other bowing theories. A 'leg' is a term for a rope (another naval connection) so telling someone to 'break a leg' meant to take so many bows that the rope holding the stage curtain would be in danger of snapping. 

Or is it simply a hangover from those superstitious days when spirits had to be appeased? To wish someone to break a leg would be a way of outsmarting the sprites and goblins. Reverse phsychology?

Whatever the origins it's a term some people still use instead of 'Good luck', so I'll finish by wishing all the cast of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', a traditional 'Break a Leg'! 

(Thank you to Ginny for her contribution, if anyone else would like to make one - please email at matt.kerslake@googlemail.com)