Theatre-goers in London have been left disappointed following the news that Ian McKellen will not return to the stage following his recent fall.
The 85-year-old actor was appearing in a production of 'Player Kings', a reimagining of Shakespeare's 'Henry IV', at the Noel Coward Theatre but missed several performances after he fell off the stage mid-performance last month.
Although the acting legend said that he was in "good spirits" following the accident and intended to return to work ASAP, it has now been announced that he will not be returning to the production, on the advice of doctors.
The original plan had been to take time off for the London dates and resume as the show toured the UK until the end of July, but now he has stepped down from the role altogether.
"Following Ian McKellen's injury during the West End run of Player Kings, his doctors' advice is to take time off from work in order to fully recover," the production team said in a statement. "As such, he will not be returning to play Sir John Falstaff in the national tour of Players Kings (3-27 July 2024).
"Ian continues to recuperate very well, but he needs the time to rest and ensure a complete recovery. We continue to send him our best wishes. As it was for the final West End performances, the role of Falstaff will now be performed by David Semark, Ian's brilliant understudy, for all tour dates of Player Kings."
McKellen himself added: "Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injuries improve day by day. It's with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime.
"I had been so looking forward to bringing Player Kings to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. But I can assure them that, with David Semark now playing Falstaff, Robert Icke's production and his acting company remain as dazzling as ever. Go see for yourself!"
McKellen's next film role is in thriller 'The Critic', alongside Gemma Arterton, Lesley Manville and Ben Barnes.
