What if William Macready did not do his "fancy dance" while playing Hamlet?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Apparently, the British actor William Macready once decided to dance in a performance of Hamlet on March 2, 1846 after saying the line "They are coming to the play; I must be idle". This annoyed the American actor Edwin Forrest, who hissed at Macready after the infamous "fancy dance". The performance led to a feud between the two actors that culminated in a riot in May 1849 at the Astor Place Opera House. The National Guard put down the riot, killing about 30 people. What would have happened if Macready decided not to skip around on the stage, or if Forrest kept his mouth shut? Would anyone notable to us have survived, or are the consequences entirely unpredictable?

The source is Hamlet From the Actor's Standpoint by Henry P. Phelps.

 

[Practical Lobster]

This is one of the most fascinating minor PoDs I've seen in a while.

The real consequences, I think, would be more cultural than a matter of who survived or died. If you wanted to run away with it as a PoD, you could probably have theater become a more egalitarian American passtime, rather than something elitist.

Also, one of the various working class immigrants who were shot could go on to do almost anything (within reason) if you were so inclined.

 

[Garbageman]

I've read that this riot was the moment that Shakespeare's plays shifted from being entertainment to being highbrow and sophisticated in the public perception, so preventing the riot probably prevents that transition.