The battle scene that Ian McKellen hurt himself in Player Kings is pivotal
The actor was rushed to hospital during Monday, 17 June's performance of Player Kings
Ian McKellen was rushed to hospital during Monday, 17 June's performance of Player Kings after losing his footing and falling off the stage during the first act.
McKellen is said to have become injured during a battle scene in the first act — which adapts Henry IV Part 1 — but luckily he is expected to "make a speedy and full recovery" after the incident. I watched the actor play Falstaff in The Player Kings in April, and the scene in question is one of the most pivotal parts of the production.
I was beyond ecstatic when I was given tickets as a Christmas present, here was my chance to see McKellen play one of the most important roles in Shakespeare. Falstaff is one of the playwright's most beloved characters: a buffoonish, boastful, hilarious old man whose friendship with Prince Hal is the backbone of Henry IV Part 1 and 2.
It is a part that all actors interested in Shakespeare long to play when they get to the right stage of their life, and McKellen certainly didn't disappoint. His Falstaff is everything you want the character to be, a bumbling drunkard and sly-talker who you can't help but be drawn to whenever he is on stage.
Audiences laugh with him, and they laugh at him. The character is a terrible influence on Prince Hal (played brilliantly by Toheeb Jimoh) but you also find their bond endearing. Their pseudo-toxic friendship is what makes Henry IV Part 1 so fun, and McKellen's brash, chaotic take only adds to the comedy.
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But one of the most important parts of the play comes when the war between King Henry IV and rebels led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy breaks out, leading to the scene where McKellen is said to have fallen.
The Player Kings is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's plays and I was mesmerised as the battle raged and cast members in camouflage stormed the stage, while explosions went off and rubble (no doubt made of rubber) was scattered across the boards to make the scene feel realistic.
After the first half mostly bounced back and forth between taverns and the royal court, it felt like a nice change of pace, and what made it all the more interesting is, of course, the part that Falstaff plays in the battle.
The knight finds himself lifted in station to battalion leader, but when the Battle of Shrewsbury reaches its peak he fakes his death to avoid attack. He witnesses Hal and Hotspur's duel, and when Hotspur is slain decides to have his moment of glory by stabbing Hotspur and taking credit for killing him.
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The scene is one of the most important of the production, and McKellen delivers a powerful monologue that encompasses everything you love about —and get frustrated by— Falstaff. Here is an actor who commands the stage, who can hold the audience's attention with his every word.
I was utterly captivated by McKellen as he gave the speech, making his way across the stage to deliver the "final" blow to Hotspur. It's funny and emotional, and represents everything that I love best about seeing McKellen on stage, and it has to be seen to be believed.
Player Kings will be performed at the Noel Coward Theatre until Saturday, 22 June, it will then go on tour in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.
