The actor Ian McKellen was hospitalized but expected to recover quickly after falling off the stage during a performance of “Player Kings” at a theater in the West End in London on Monday night, the producers of the play said.
After a scan, doctors at Britain’s National Health Service said that McKellen would “make a speedy and full recovery, and Ian is in good spirits,” according to a statement by the producers.
McKellen, 85, who has been nominated for two Academy Awards and has won a Tony, a Golden Globe and multiple Olivier Awards, is starring in the play, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s two “Henry IV” plays, directed by Robert Icke.
McKellen plays John Falstaff, a fictional character who appears in three Shakespeare plays.
The fall took place during a battle scene, according to Aleks Phillips, a BBC journalist who was in the audience on Monday night and described what he saw in an article.
Persons:
Ian McKellen, McKellen, “, Ian, Tony, Olivier, William Shakespeare’s, Henry IV ”, Robert Icke, John Falstaff, Shakespeare, Aleks Phillips
Organizations:
“, National Health Service, Globe, BBC
Locations:
London