During an interval in between acts, he reportedly told fellow actor Sir Ian McKellen that he had been thrown off his game a bit by a spooky sighting. The ghostly figure appeared to be wearing a beige coat with matching twill trousers and was standing just off stage, lingering in the wings. Others working in the theater reported that Stewart was definitely thrown by the apparition and did not appear to be frightened by it, but definitely took note of the ghost.
The London theater(pictured at the right), like many theaters, has earned a reputation as
one of the stage's most notoriously haunted locations. Workers in the the theater believe that the ghost which Patrick Stewart saw during Act I of the play was that of John Baldwin Buckstone who was a former actor and manager of the Theatre Royal and a contemporary and friend of author Charles Dickens.
Buckstone was a long time supporter of the theater and played a number of roles in the theater's history ranging from comic actor to playwright and finally manager. During his term as manager which lasted from 1853 until two years before his death in 1879, the Theatre Royal performed 200 productions. There was no traumatic ending to Buckstone's life, he passed away peacefully at his own home; however, the legend of the theater holds that because of his great devotion, his spirit still walks the halls of the Theatre Royal.
While the appearance may have surprised the well known actor of stage, television, and film, he did not appear to be menacing and left no other signs of his appearance. In fact, the locals working at the theater take it as a good omen, believing that the ghost of Buckstone only appears where there is something noteworthy taking place that meets his approval and the belated figure appears in appreciation. Being a bit of the superstitious sort, stage actors have learned to live with the ghostly hauntings of Britain's greatest companies.
Cameramen, of course, were unable to document the spirit's presence; however, anyone familiar with the talent and level of professionalism that Patrick Stewart shows on stage can only conclude that if this seasoned actor was thrown off by something while on stage, then there was definitely something of note that caught his gaze.