Player Kings review – Ian McKellen’s richly complex Falstaff is magnetic

Player Kings review – Ian McKellen’s richly complex Falstaff is magnetic

Noel Coward theatre, LondonMutating from head criminal in a gothic thriller to slippery music hall entertainer, showman McKellen has centripetal force in Robert Icke’s slick, modern dress productionIt is a wonder that among Ian McKellen’s great, long roster of Shakespearean roles, he has not taken on the corpulent comic antihero of the Henry IV dramas before now. He makes a radically moving Falstaff in Robert Icke’s handsome production of the tw…

Player Kings review: Ian McKellen is hilarious in bitingly cool show

Player Kings review and star rating: ★★★★ What a treat! How about watching what is essentially a four-hour comedy skit with Ian McKellen larking about in a fat suit? If that sounds too long, you’re wrong: it’s actually not long enough. And the best thing about Player Kings is you needn’t be a Shakespeare stan to extract oodles of joy from this incredibly cool production. McKellen plays Falstaff, one of The Bard’s great aging characters. He’s hil…