Update: Sir Ian McKellen Will Not Return to PLAYER KINGS in London Following Onstage Fall

It has been announced that Sir Ian McKellen will not return to Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London after he suffered a fall during a performance earlier this week.

For the final three scheduled performances, David Semark will take on the role of Sir John Falstaff.

A social media post revealed that McKellen is expected to return to the production for its national tour, which kicks off on July 3 in Bristol.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the incident occurred during a fight scene, during which McKellen lost his footing and fell off the front of the stage. As the house lights came up, Sir Ian cried out in pain, and theatre staff immediately rushed to his aid. The audience was promptly evacuated, and the evening performance was cancelled.

Player Kings, a production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, began its 12-week West End run in April. Ian McKellen plays Falstaff in a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, adapted by the award-winning writer and director Robert Icke. 

The cast comprises Ian McKellen as Sir John Falstaff, Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso & Romeo and Juliet) as Prince Harry and Richard Coyle (Ink & Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) as King Henry IV, with Raphael Akuwudike (Prince John), Sara Beharrell (Snare/Davy), Samuel Edward-Cook (Hotspur/Pistol), Geoffrey Freshwater (Bardolph), James Garnon (Worcester/Justice Silence), Alice Hayes (Messenger), Henry Jenkinson (Harcourt), Nigel Lister (Northumberland/Francis) Annette McLaughlin(Warwick), Mark Monero (Peto), Hywel Morgan (Sir Walter Blunt), Joseph Mydell (Lord Chief Justice), Clare Perkins (Mistress Quickly), Daniel Rabin (Poins), David Semark(Sir Richard Vernon), David Shelley (Sheriff), Robin Soans (Justice Shallow), Tafline Steen (Doll Tearsheet/Lady Percy) and Perry Williams (Douglas/Prince Thomas) completing the cast.