Ian McKellen is hospitalised after West End accident
Veteran actor Ian McKellen has been hospitalised after falling off the front of the stage while performing in a play on the West End.
Luckily, McKellen is doing okay. A representative for the Noël Coward Theatre has stated that the star is set to make a “speedy recovery.” The incident occurred during a performance of Player Kings, a Shakespeare adaptation which includes Part One and Part Two of Henry IV. McKellen was starring as John Falstaff, a friend of the future King Henry V, also known as Prince Hal.
Unfortunately, the 85-year-old actor slipped while participating in a battle scene and fell off the front of the stage. He reportedly cried out for help and screamed in pain as the audience watched on in horror. McKellen was assisted by several members of the theatre staff, who sent him to the hospital to be checked over.
The theatre’s statement congratulated everyone who had sent McKellen kind messages. “Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian’s fall during this evening’s performance of Player Kings,” they wrote, adding, “Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.”
They have also notified those with tickets for the upcoming performance of Player Kings that it will not be going ahead: “The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow.”
The actor is no stranger to Shakespeare, having got his start as an actor by starring in the Bard’s plays while at Cambridge University. One of his earliest notable roles was Justice Shallow in Henry IV.
From there, he continued to star in many plays on the West End, eventually becoming a prominent member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has starred in everything from Romeo and Juliet to Macbeth and Othello.
In recent years, he has played Hamlet at the Theatre Royal in Windsor and King Lear at the Duke of York’s Theatre. He has been starring in Player Kings since the end of April, which has a few weeks left on its run, although it is uncertain when McKellen will be returning to the stage just yet.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.