Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed he will not be returning to the production of Player Kings following his fall from the stage last month.
McKellen was half an hour into an evening show when he fell head first into audience members on the front row, injuring himself and leaving the theatre in an ambulance.
The 85-year-old actor had hoped to return to Player Kings from this Wednesday as it tours around the UK but has said with “the greatest reluctance” that he is leaving the production to “protect my recovery”, according to the PA news agency.
The production said in a statement: “Following Ian McKellen’s injury during the West End run of Player Kings, his doctors’ advice is to take time off from work in order to fully recover. As such, he will not be returning to play Sir John Falstaff in the national tour of Players Kings (3-27 July 2024).
“Ian continues to recuperate very well, but he needs the time to rest and ensure a complete recovery. We continue to send him our best wishes. As it was for the final West End performances, the role of Falstaff will now be performed by David Semark, Ian’s brilliant understudy, for all tour dates of Player Kings.”
One lady who was sitting on the front row and was hit by the falling actor told the BBC: “Getting crushed by Gandalf the Grey, that’s something you don’t expect… As he tripped on that he built up momentum and flew head first into me in the audience.”
McKellen is one of Britain’s most loved Shakespearean actors, making his acting debut in 1961. But in his senior years he has found more mainstream success in film franchises Lord of the Rings and X-Men.
Player Kings, a moulding together of the Shakespeare plays Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, will continue to tour with McKellen’s understudy David Semark in the role of Sir John Falstaff.