Ian McKellen Reigns Supreme in "The Player Kings": A Shakespearean Triumph with a Comedic Twist"

 

Ian Mckellan stars at the Wimbledon Theatre on Tuesday 5th March 2024 in the new Shakespearean adaptation of the Henry IV plays, renamed as “The Player Kings”.

Ian Mckellan, now aged 84, returns to the theatre world to deliver this new production. 

The play is based on the unstable reign of Henry IV and set in a fractioned England in 1403. Building towards the climactic Battle of Shrewsbury, this production centres on the King’s struggles to maintain his claim to the throne as a group of rebel noblemen plot to overthrow him.

The play possesses a comedic flare, following Prince Hal’s misadventures in the pubs of London with drunken knight John Falstaff - his humorous role to the play being heightened with his actor of Ian McKellen. The main question that pressures the audience while watching this play is “Can their friendship survive the pressures of kingship?”

Ian’s last appearance before playing John at Wimbledon theatre and the West End was in the charming Frank & Percy at The Other Palace opposite Roger Allam, and between Christmas 2022 and early 2023, he toured in the title role in the pantomime Mother Goose. In terms of Shakespearean appearances, he last played Hamlet at the Theatre Royal, Windsor.

Ian Mckellen is a renowned British actor, having been nominated for countless acting awards and having the title of a six-time Olivier award recipient. 

“Audiences and critics celebrate Icke’s productions of the classics for their fresh and gripping storytelling. He became the youngest Olivier Award winner for Best Director for Oresteia in 2016. In 2023, his acclaimed play The Doctor played at the Almeida Theatre, in the West End, and in New York. Noted for his inventive use of technology, Icke has put on Shakespeare stagings including Hamlet (starring Andrew Scott), which was acclaimed for its high-tech CCTV concept. Audiences can surely expect similar innovation from this medieval-set but thematically contemporary Shakespeare revisal.” - London Theatre

Alex Ramen reviews: “The goodwill is palpable, and McKellen is certainly more of an asset in this role than he was three years ago as Hamlet - particularly when delivering Falstaff's exaggerations about his field-of-battle prowess or sparring with Mistress Quickly (Clare Perkins, using her inimitable squawk to up the energy level).”

Overall, it was clear that the play had a great comedic edge to it, displaying a fun Shakespearean twist to the modern audience at the Wimbledon theatre!