A theatergoer revealed she also ended up in hospital when Sir Ian McKellen fell off the stage and landed on her during a performance this week.
Johanna Dart, 30, from Leatherhead in Surrey, had secured front row tickets to see Sir Ian in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theater on Monday, June 17.
But during a fight scene, the 85-year-old Lord of the Rings actor lost his balance and fell into the front row where Dart was sitting.
Speaking to the BBC today, Mrs Dart said: “Being crushed by Gandalf the Gray is something you don’t expect.”
He said it was an “unforgettable encounter,” but not necessarily one he would want to have with the acting legend who played John Falstaff in the production.
Ms Dart was helped to the lobby by two women who could see she was “in distress”, before a doctor saw her condition and came to provide care. She was subsequently taken to hospital with soft tissue injuries.
She told the BBC that she “was shocked by the whole thing” and had been enjoying the production until the scene in which Sir Ian fell.
Johanna Dart (pictured) had secured front row tickets to see Sir Ian in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Mrs Dart (pictured) with her leg raised as a doctor and staff come to help.
Sir Ian McKellen bows before the curtain during the Player Kings press night presentation
Recalling the incident, Dart said the actor appeared to “trip over this piece of prop” that was on stage, before falling and landing headfirst on his knees.
He said staff rushed to help Sir Ian, who is said to be recovering “very, very well”, but felt they did not respond appropriately to his injuries or his state of shock.
He told the BBC that staff initially “seemed unsure” what the health and safety protocol was and did not immediately provide assistance.
While they eventually came to his aid, Dart said they did not order any of the paramedics who had arrived to treat Sir Ian to assess his injuries.
She went on to say that staff told her to book her own taxi home, despite being in shock and crying.
Dart traveled home with her brother before her mother, Angela, joined her in a taxi and they went to Epsom Hospital. She spent the entire night in the hospital’s emergency department.
On Thursday it was announced that Sir Ian would not be performing in London again while he receives physiotherapy and recovers.
Alternate David Semark, 52, will take his place as Falstaff.
Paramedics arrive at Noel Coward Theater after Sir Ian’s fall
After his performance on Thursday night, Semark said that Sir Ian had called him to inform him that he would be playing the role.
Semark said: “The wonderful Sir Ian McKellen called me to tell me what was going on, which was incredible, and (he) has been incredibly supportive throughout the rehearsals.
‘The first person I heard it from was Sir Ian. Then we had a discussion about the role. I’ve worked alongside him for months so we get on well, he’s a friend.’
He continued: ‘Obviously my first thought is for my friend and the wonderful human being that Sir Ian McKellen is. He called me to tell me what was going on, which was amazing and he was incredibly supportive during rehearsals.
“I definitely wouldn’t have had the courage to go there tonight if I didn’t feel like he was after me.”
But I have a spot open for Sir Ian. I walk in the shadow of greatness…
‘I blatantly stole 90% of what he does on that show and tried to make it my own. It’s been an incredibly stressful couple of days.
Asked how Sir Ian was doing after the crash, Semark replied: “He’s doing very, very well.”
A post on the Player Kings account on of his fall on Monday, June 17.
He added: “We look forward to Ian returning to the production, which will begin a national tour in Bristol on Wednesday, July 3, before visiting Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.”
