An actor almost died in front of the audience after slashing his throat in a bizarre on-stage mix-up.
Daniel Hoevels’ character was supposed to commit suicide in the drama with a blunt stage knife but had instead been provided with a real blade. He collapsed on stage with blood pouring from his neck and the audience started to applaud the spectacular special effects. It was only when Hoevels, 30, failed to get up to take a bow at Vienna’s Burgtheater in Austria that they realised something was wrong. Now police are investigating their own murder mystery drama – after refusing to rule out the possibility that the stunt may have been an attempt to bump off the actor by a jealous rival.
Police have been told that the knife had been bought at a local store and are asking if props staff forgot to blunt the blade for the performance of Friedrich Schiller’s play Mary Stuart, about Mary Queen of Scots. ‘The knife even still had the price tag on it,’ said one shocked police investigator.
The theatre’s props manager is understood to have been quizzed by police about the knife, reports Austrian daily Osterreich. The actor recovered after emergency treatment to his wound at a local hospital and appeared on stage the next night with a bandage around his neck.
‘If Hoevels had hit an artery or cut only slightly deeper, he would have died on stage,’ a doctor said.
Drama Queen.
Good thing he didn’t have to fall on his sword!
I’ve always wondered how the audience would react to such a situation. Now we unfortunately know.
Sound like a case for Monk. Wait, that was already done.
☠
Look for this to be a Law & Order episode next season.
Method actors…sheesh!
Future Darwin award winner?
#3 – Maybe not the actor. Although whoever gave him the knife should win some sort of Up-and-Coming (as no one actually died) Darwin Award by Proxy…
# 4 Satan said, “#3 – Maybe not the actor.”
I don’t know. If I was him I’d run my finger down the blade before forcefully sliding it across my throat …
Im been in BOTH drama and stage production…
YOU CHECK YOUR GEAR, BEFORE PERFORMANCE..
The KNIFE would have been BOUGHT before the FIRST PLAY had been on stage..and USED many times BEFORE. WHY NOW?
#9 Well assuming it wasn’t an intentional bad act. It’s a knife. The original that had been being used could have gotten lost.
He was supposed to “break a leg” not “slash a throat”….jeez…some people!
# 11 John Rudy said, “The actor, going onstage, often has no time to check the safety ”
I’d NEVER subject myself to an unknown weapon. I’d make time. I think this guy will too, in the future.
Where is Miss Marple when you need her?
Couldn’t the actor easily see that the safety was off?
Too many unanswered questions.
There is 1 cause that supersedes our idea of STAGE PROPS..
and thats the IDIOT ASS, that carries his OWN PROPS, and has his OWN.
If he forgets, loses, his prop, HE HAS TO GET A NEW ONE…
Iv had 1-2 that WANTEd to use their OWN props, or thought they could find better..
THEN didnt know HOW safe they were..ACTORS DONT KNOW KNIFES..
Another trick is REALISM, and a fake knife that has FAKE BLOOD…THIS WASNT A FAKE.
I will BET…the ACTOR wanted BETTER, and got a real knife.
This was the plot in the first season of “Midsomer Murders”, “Death of a Hollow Man” 1998. I wonder if it is in reruns in Austria?
Paddy said:
“# 4 Satan said, “#3 – Maybe not the actor.”
I don’t know. If I was him I’d run my finger down the blade before forcefully sliding it across my throat …”
Yeah, you’re right. I would do the same if handed a knife to be used as a prop…. although, I don’t think I would “forcefully” slide even a dull prop knife across my throat, even for sake of my art…. I suppose I’d be a crappy actor…
How about just faking it and not really cutting your own throat…? There shouldn’t be a process to follow as far as NOT cutting yourself.
I’m no actor, but I wouldn’t press a knife of any kind into my neck.
If i pick up a PROP knife…
1. I try to see if its PLASTIC..
IF NOT..
I take the BLADE to a HARD METAL SURFACE, and DRAG IT HARD on the EDGE to EDGE..
Then test it on a WOOD surface to see if there is ANY DRAG/PULL from the blade side(thats what CUTTING feels like)
REPEAT on METAL edge UNTIL is SLIDES on the wood, and wont bite or leave a mark..