The Dangers of Live Theater

December 11th, 2008 by Evil Beet


This is very scary!!

An actor portraying a suicide bid in an Austrian play accidentally slashed his own throat on-stage following a prop mix-up.

Daniel Hoevels, 30, collapsed with blood pouring from his neck after using a real blade instead of the blunt stage knife.

He was taken to the hospital after the dramatic scene at Vienna’s Burgtheater.

The audience had been raptured, unaware the actor was facing his own demise for real.

But when he failed to greet their applause for the show’s spectacular special effects with a bow they separated fact from fiction.

Police are now investigating whether the mix-up was murderous.

Officers have refused to rule out the possibility that a jealous rival may have switched the blades.

The knife had been bought at a local store and police 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 a police investigator.

The theater’s props manager has been quizzed by police about the weapon, Austrian daily Osterreich reported.

The actor recovered after emergency treatment and even 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.

Wow. If this really was an attempted murder, I am so excited to see the Lifetime movie that gets made from it.

Thanks Jamie!


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15 Responses to “The Dangers of Live Theater”

  1. Diane says:

    There was an episode of Monk that had the exact same plot. And yes, I am ashamed of myself for knowing that,

  2. Horse Marine says:

    That’s horrible, poor guy. =(

  3. Eloise says:

    I think there was an episode of Murder, She Wrote with that plot, too!

  4. That’s like straight from an episode of Monk.

  5. wpolochick says:

    I was about to mention the Monk episode too! Craziness.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Nooo Diane, dont be ashamed for knowing monk! Best show ever!!!

  7. Eyes of Green says:

    That’s horrifying! Thank God he didn’t die on the spot.

  8. jane says:

    I’m so glad someone else mentioned Monk, I was going to feel so silly, yet could not resist.

  9. Elisabeth says:

    This guy was born in Sweden but his family moved to Germany right before he turned 3. And of course Swedish media has to call him “Swedish actor” even though noone here has ever heard of him. haha.

    Anyway
    Thank God it didn’t turn out really bad.

  10. ThatLisa says:

    this is also like what happened on the Crow!!! but it was a gun, and Brandon Lee died :(

  11. Hallie says:

    I remember that Monk episode. That was a good episode.

  12. Tamara says:

    that happened in my home town? how come i havent read about it yet?! STRANGE

  13. one size fits most says:

    ummmm…i think brandon lee did it most famously when he filmed the crow.

  14. one size fits most says:

    oh, shoulda read comments first…thatlisa already said it

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