Before an actor goes on stage people will tell them to "break a leg." What is the meaning behind this saying?

Question

I would like to know the origin of this saying and why "break a leg" is the same as good luck in theatre.

Answer 1

The part of the curtain that helps to raise and lower it is known as the "leg." If a show was well received, the curtain would be raised after performance for the performers to take a bow. The curtain might then be lowered and raised repeatedly for this ovation from the audience.

The leg would possibly break from strain of being raised and lowered in succession repeatedly. So the thought was, to wish someone to "break a leg" was to wish them such a great performance and great show that the audience would have ceaseless applause causing the curtain to be raised and lowered multiple times possibly to the point of the "leg" breaking.

I learned about this in a theatrical stage class many years ago.

Answer 2

In addition to the very informative answers you've already received, here are some other possible explanations:

Legend has it that on the opening night of the very first performance of "Dracula", the lead actor broke his leg. The production received wonderfully positive response, and it enjoyed a long run before sold-out crowds. Supersition kicked in, the story goes, and people began to say that the show's good fortune was due to the actor's injury.....so the wish "Break a Leg" is a wish for success.

The wish is also tied in some way to the old idea that the gods don't like to see mortals enjoying too much happiness, so we wish each other bad fortune (a broken leg) by way of protecting our friends and colleagues from worse fortune (the wrath of the gods).

Incidentally, performance cultures in other countries also have seemingly negative-sounding wishes before one goes onstage: the Italian phrase "In bocca al lupo!" translates literally as "Into the mouth of the wolf!", and the French wish "Merde!" translates as "S**t!"

Answer 3

In earlier times, actors wished one another “may you break your leg”, in the hope that the performance would be so successful that the performer would be called forth to take a bow — to bend his knee.

At one time audiences showed their appreciation by throwing money on the stage; to pick the coins up, actors had to break their legs, that is, kneel or bend down.

The curtains on either side of a stage were called the legs, so that to pass through the legs was to make it out on to the stage ready to give a good performance, or perhaps expressing the hope that you will need to pass through them at the end of the show to take a curtain call, implying your performance had been good.

The saying really refers to getting one’s big break, that the performance will be good enough to ensure success in one’s career.

The famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt had a leg amputated in 1915, which didn’t stop her performing; it is considered good luck to mention her in the hope that some of her theatrical prowess will rub off by association.

John Wilkes Booth, the actor who assassinated President Lincoln, broke his leg when he jumped on to the stage to escape afterward. Somehow, reminding fellow actors of this event is supposed to lead to good luck in the performance.

We may discard all of these on the grounds of varying degrees of implausibility. A key factor is that most of the stories assume that break a leg is an old expression, whereas it’s actually quite modern. The earliest known example in print refers to a show with that title in 1957. The saying must, of course, be older for it to have been borrowed for the title and there is anecdotal evidence from theatrical memoirs and personal recollection that it has been around since the 1930s, but not before.

Answer 4

In the theatre,it was considered EXTREMELY bad luck to wish someone good luck before a performance.

This superstition led to the practice among actors to instead wish them to "break a leg" instead, which would bring good luck.

Answer 5

If you type break a leg into your search engine and go into the encyclopedia there are many theories about where the term came from. (Wikipedia)

Greek, Roman, English, German, Jewish, and also Lincoln which is based on when Abe Lincoln was shot.

It is considered bad luck when going on stage to perform to be wished good luck, and that is why this saying has evolved.
This is based on superstition.

Answer 6

Just a guess here, but perhaps it's close to "knock 'em dead". I'm sure they mean it as good luck.

Answer 7

I think they say it because "good luck" is considered bad luck. sort of like reverse psychology.

Answer 8

superstition : not just not saying good luck but saying the opposite.

Answer 9

i don't know, i only knew it after watching high school musical. must be a theater jargon.

Answer 10

It means, "give it all you've got".