He had intended to re-join the play for its UK tour, but has now stepped down 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.
’As such, he will not be returning to play Sir John Falstaff in the national tour of Players Kings . ’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.