Ian McKellen Falls Off Stage During Fight Scene

Actor is expected to make a full recovery and be back to show by Wednesday
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 18, 2024 1:30 AM CDT
Ian McKellen Falls Off Stage During Fight Scene
A sign for Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London, starring Sir Ian McKellen, who has been taken to hospital after he fell from the stage during a West End performance, Monday, June 17, 2024.   (Jacob Freedland/PA via AP)

Don't worry, folks: Beloved actor Ian McKellen is expected to be just fine after a scary incident during a London performance Monday night. McKellen was in the middle of a battle scene in Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre when he lost his footing and fell off the stage, crying out in pain after landing, the BBC reports. The show was halted and the theater emptied, with Tuesday evening's performance also canceled so the actor can rest. But the theater later said McKellen, 85, was "in good spirits" and expected to make "a speedy and full recovery"—so speedy that he's expected to return for Wednesday's matinee, the Guardian reports.

McKellen, who starred as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in multiple X-Men movies, is starring as John Falstaff in the show, a reimagining of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two. Its 12-week run in the West End began in April. A theatergoer said it was a "shock" seeing the venerated actor fall "directly in front of the audience," noting, "Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene." In its statement, the theater thanked two medical professionals who were in the audience and came to help. (More Ian McKellen stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X