Tom Hanks is currently appearing on stage as Falstaff in Henry IV for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles. I’ve been seeing adverts for this and I was really quite skeptical of Hanks as Falstaff. Falstaff is one of my favorite Shakespearean characters so I guess I was a little protective. I was wrong. Not only did Hanks perform three seasons in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, he is getting good reviews in his current role, which thrills me because I’m a fan. The photos I’ve seen of him in costume look a little silly but they say he utterly embodies the character.

Hanks stood out last Wednesday due to his improvisational skills. During the performance, one of the audience members fainted. Fortunately the crew has medical training. While the staff attended to the victim, Hanks rushed back on stage in character and ad-libbed, engaging and entertaining the audience.

Tom Hanks showed why he is one of the world’s best – and most loved actors – recently when a theatergoer had a medical emergency during his performance of Shakespeare’s Henry IV.

The 61-year-old actor, who portrays Sir John Falstaff, used his masterful improvisation skills to entertain a restless crowd at the Veterans Affairs’ West Los Angeles campus when an audience member became ill on Wednesday.

The show came to a halt for 15 minutes after the person passed out, according to the Orange County Register.

Hanks kept the rest of the audience focused on him to allow the show’s crew, who are made up of military veterans with medical training, and later the paramedics, to treat the audience member without interruptio

“No intermission brew for you!” Hanks said, also calling out “scurvy rogues” at those who attempted to leave their seats. “An insult to all actors and to Shakespeare himself,” he said as the fat knight Falstaff.

[From People]

I’ve had to improvise on stage when I or another actor forgot lines. Those moments can occasionally be the best part of the production. Hanks was not only entertaining, he was clever. He distracted the audience and allowed the patient their dignity. I was overtired when I first saw the clip below, so I didn’t like that he broke the fourth wall and used anachronistic references. However I was quickly won over and found the whole thing charming, which is the power of Hanks, I suppose. The show runs until July 1.

The ailing audience member is said to have recovered. As an added bonus, they will have the best story at any cocktail party.

Photo credit: WENN Photos and YouTube