Stacy Keach Had Heart Attack Onstage During Opening Night Performance of ‘Pamplona’
Stacy Keach had a heart attack on stage last week during the opening-night performance of the play “Pamplona.”
The news comes a week after Keach’s performance was cut short when the actor became visibly ill and disoriented on stage. According to the Chicago Tribune, Keach remains in the hospital, but is expected to be released from hospital on Tuesday and make a full recovery.
In the play by Jim McGrath, Keach stars as Ernest Hemingway and is the only actor in the show. May 30 performance was cut short about an hour in when a stage manager, citing technical difficulties, asked Keach to leave the stage.
Also Read: 'The End of Longing' Theater Review: Matthew Perry Recycles as Both Playwright and Star
In a column published the following day, Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones wrote that Keach “repeated some of his lines several times and appeared unable to recall where he needed to go next.”
“And this was a solo show,” Jones wrote. “There was no on-stage companion to ease Keach’s burden and feed him a few lines. No earpiece or other memory aid — not uncommon with older actors, even on Broadway — was available for his use.”
Also Read: 'Building the Wall' Theater Review: A View of Post-Trump America Both Powerful and Preposterous
Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls revealed to the paper on Tuesday that Keach had suffered a “mild heart attack” ahead of the performance. Keach will remain in Chicago with his wife for the time being, but there are currently no immediate plans to re-stage the play.
“The first thing Stacy said was ‘when are we rescheduling?'” Falls said. “I told him we’d figure that out. But first he had to have some rest.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
'The End of Longing' Theater Review: Matthew Perry Recycles as Both Playwright and Star
'Building the Wall' Theater Review: A View of Post-Trump America Both Powerful and Preposterous
'Can You Forgive Her?' Theater Review: Amber Tamblyn Copes With Extreme Student Debt
