EXCLUSIVE Theatregoer watching Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma in Macbeth tells how she fainted and suffered a broken leg

A theatre goer has told how she fainted and broke her leg while watching Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma in Macbeth.

Retired teacher Louise Barnes, 67, was enjoying a performance featuring the Hollywood stars when she suddenly felt light-headed and fell into the aisles.

Macbeth is notoriously said to be a jinxed play and actors who appear in it use the expression ‘break a leg’ to ward off the supposed curse and any other ill luck while performing.

Louise told MailOnline: ‘Everybody knows about the curse of Macbeth, and it certainly struck me. ‘And I know actors are told to break a leg, but members of the audience aren’t supposed to.’

It emerged earlier this week that a production of the Shakespeare play at The Depot, Liverpool, Merseyside, had to be halted twice when two different theatregoers had medical issues during the same evening.

Retired teacher Louise Barnes (left), 67, was enjoying a performance featuring the Hollywood stars when she suddenly felt light-headed and fell into the aisles

It emerged earlier this week that a production of the Shakespeare play starring Ralph Fiennes (pictured) at The Depot, Liverpool, Merseyside, had to be halted twice when two different theatregoers had medical issues during the same evening

Recalling the evening of November 21, Louise said: ‘I studied Macbeth at school and had seen it a couple of times, but the Liverpool production looked really interesting.

‘It was a packed auditorium, and it was very hot.

‘Towards the end of the first half of the play, just before the intermission, there was a medical incident involving a lady towards the front of the audience.

READ MORE:  Production of Macbeth starring Ralph Fiennes is halted TWICE after two audience members collapsed

‘The director had come out onto the stage and stopped the play and asked the audience to go into the bar area and clear the auditorium whilst an ambulance was called.’

By the time the play continued Louise herself wasn’t feeling well.

She said: ‘Right at the end of the play, just before Macbeth is killed, I started to feel faint.

I’ve fainted before and I know the feeling. My vision started to go, and I said to Ted ‘I think I’m going to faint’,

‘But then instead of doing what you should do, putting your head down between your knees, I stood up. Which was the worst thing to do.’

This made Louise faint and she collapsed into the closely entwined temporary seating.

As her husband Graham, 64, and youngest son Ted, 27, tried to help her up, her leg got caught in the temporary seating and, it later transpired, she had snapped her fibula, just above her left ankle.

She went on: ‘They were trying to make me comfortable on the floor, but in doing so my ankle got twisted and I think that is what broke my leg.

‘But I can’t remember any of that because I was unconscious. When I came round I just thought ‘Oooh, that feels sore’ and I got up and fainted again.’

The Depot where Louise Barnes broke her leg whilst watching a production of Macbeth

Louise (pictured) told MailOnline: ‘Everybody knows about the curse of Macbeth, and it certainly struck me. ‘And I know actors are told to break a leg, but members of the audience aren’t supposed to’

At this point her evening suddenly had a contrasting moment of good luck – there were two doctors sitting immediately behind her and they rushed to her aid.

As the play continued the two female GPs sitting behind stricken Louise came to her aid.

READ MORE: Macbeth review: Wary, thoughtful, skittish… Ralph Fiennes even has comic touches in this new production of Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy, writes PATRICK MARMION

The two doctors ensured an ambulance was promptly called and took care of Louise until paramedics raced her to Royal Liverpool University Hospital for treatment.

Mother of three Louise’s is now recovering at home in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.

She decided to tell her story as she wants to thank the two doctors who came to her aid. She only knows that they are both Scottish, long term friends, and that one has a practice in Liverpool and the other in Edinburgh.

Louise now has her left leg in a walking boot and is expected to be fully recovered in six weeks. She is hoping the family will all muck in and cook the Christmas dinner this year.

Louise said: ‘The two GPs at the play were brilliant, but I never got a chance to properly thank them.’

Retired TV cameraman husband Graham said: ‘The doctors were great. They took charge and helped Louise out. We would both like to thank them for what they did.’

He added: ‘It is quite funny really. An audience member breaking a leg at the Scottish play, with two Scottish doctors coming to help.’

• Please contact [email protected] if you know the identity of the doctors.

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