Ian McKellen expected to make “speedy and full recovery” after falling off stage during London performance

Sir Ian McKellen is reportedly “in good spirits” after taking a fall off the stage during a showing of the Player Kings play in London.

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Yesterday (June 17), while performing a fight scene at the Noël Coward theater in West End during a performance of Player Kings, McKellen lost his footing and plummeted off stage. According to the BBC, McKellen was rushed to a hospital, while the audience was evacuated from the venue, and the rest of the performance was cancelled.

In a statement (per IGN), McKellen’s publicist commented that the veteran actor is expected to make a “speedy and full recovery”. The full statement reads: “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. 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.”

“The production his 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. Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support.”

Performances of Player Kings are expected to resume on Wednesday (June 19), and ticket holders for June 18 performances can expect news on refunds soon.

McKellen plays John Falstaff in Player Kings, a production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I and II. The play began its 12-week run on the West End in April, and is set to move through Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle in July. Tickets are now on sale.

Earlier this month, McKellen expressed interest in reprising his role as Gandalf in the upcoming Lord Of The Rings spinoff. The actor portrayed the wizard in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy of films from 2001 to 2003 and is keen on returning to the franchise after it was confirmed that Warner Bros. is working on a number of projects set in Middle Earth, the first of which is a 2026 film tentatively titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

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