William Hobbs was the fight choreographer when I played Banquo in a touring production of Macbeth for the Cambridge Theatre Company.
As a contrast to the final spectacular sword fight between Macbeth and Macduff, Bill staged a messy and realistic scrap during which Banquo was taken unawares by the three killers before he could draw his sword, was overpowered and finished off by an axe. The axe crashed into my back accompanied by a violent wordless roar to cover the giveaway sound of it not harming me as I collapsed face down to the stage. This spectacular coup de grace was guaranteed to silence even the most restless school matinee audiences.
On our last night in Hyderabad, India, I was ready for the roar, the reassuring thump to the back and the knowledge that, thanks to Bill’s forethought and expertise, I had survived a spectacular show-stopping fight. The roar came, but for the last night I heard: “One Hundred and Eighteeeeeeeee!” I fell to the ground with the axe quivering rather more than usual. Thanks to Bill’s staging no one else heard anything but a violent roar.
