Sir Ian McKellen will sit out the remaining dates of his London production, "Player Kings," as he recovers from a fall he suffered on stage earlier this week.
The 85-year-old veteran actor was performing a fight scene when the incident occurred. He has been portraying John Falstaff in the staging of William Shakespeare's "Henry IV" parts one and two, at the Noel Coward Theatre.
According to the Independent, McKellen slipped and fell from the stage. The outlet noted that he cried out in pain as crew members rushed to assist him.
The Tuesday show was canceled and audience members were asked to leave. McKellen was initially expected to make Wednesday's matinee but it has since been revealed that he will not feature in the final three performances of the production in the West End.
The Noel Coward Theatre released a statement to Deadline revealing that David Semark will replace McKellen as the actor "recuperates." McKellen will return in two weeks when the production begins a national tour.
McKellen spent three nights in hospital and is having "physiotherapy, light exercise and a lot of essential rest at home," the Independent reported, citing the "Lord of the Rings" star.
"Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work," he wrote in a statement on social media.
A representative for the production released a statement addressing the incident to the Independent.
"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," the statement read.
"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," it added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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