Astor Place Riot

As Astor Place Riot is called a riot, which was sparked during a performance of the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare in New York on 10 May 1849. The riots demanded at least 25 dead and over 120 injured.

Process and background

Trigger of the revolt was the competition between two famous actor, in the background were social tensions and anti-British sentiment. The American Edwin Forrest enjoyed great popularity among workers, while the Englishman William Charles Macready was appreciated by the wealthy classes and the literary elite.

Forrest played at the Broadway Theatre, the title role in Macbeth. As part of a U.S. tour his British rival Macready occurred only a few blocks from the Astor Opera House in the same role. On the evening of the first performance, around 20,000 supporters gathered in front of the Forrest Astor Opera House and berated the incoming audience. Forrest partisans who had acquired hundreds tickets for the performance, booed and whistled from Macready, throwing waste on the stage and demolished the seating. After the performance, the Briton escaped in disguise from the theater.

To be Lord of the rebellion, the city government convened the National Guard. After stones were thrown at the theater, some protesters tried to set the building on fire and the crowd fled from the theater, the National Guard fired on the crowd. Were counted at least 25 dead and over 120 injured.

These incidents are a root for the widespread superstition among actors, uttering the piece title Macbeth is bad luck. The drama is considered by many actors rather than Scottish piece ( The Scottish Play ).