Indeed, the show must go on. Good man!
It looks like the theatre he performed in had a proscenium-stage, so there was no need to press the knife against his throat; several inches of space between it and his neck would have completed the illusion, especially for as big of a space as its auditorium is. It's nice that he trusted his crew and props enough to further sell the action, but it was unnecessary and proved costly in this situation.
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http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3492/eponaharr.jpg
Nominate SuperNiceDog's Guru-choice, then Epona.