James Corden delayed the start of a play in which he stars at a London theatre so the cast and audience could watch England’s penalty shootout in the Euros game against Switzerland on Saturday.
The play, The Constituent, which also stars Anna Maxwell Martin and Zachary Hart, was due to begin just as England players were lining up to take penalties to secure a place in the Euros semi-finals.
As football fans across the country were tensely perched on the edge of their seats, the audience at the Old Vic was also anxious to see the outcome of the game.
Corden was watching on a tablet in the wings, and then brought his device on stage to join the audience, many of whom were glued to their phones.
He told the packed venue: “We will just watch the England penalties then get into this serious play.”
Jack Moss, who was in the audience with his wife, Rachel, said: “Everyone was in a pretty good mood once the penalties were over, and the play started within a couple of minutes.”
The 90-minute play, a political drama about a clash between a female MP and an angry constituent, started 15 minutes late.
Jack and Rachel Moss had been following the match at home. When it went to extra time, they watched on the bus on the way to the theatre.
“We got there about 7.15pm and went straight to our seats,” said Jack. “We could see about 20 or 30 people had their phones out, and others were looking over their shoulders. There was a bit of chatter about whether the play might be delayed. Corden is quite a big football fan.”
Rachel said: “It was quite tense in the theatre when it was clear penalties were coming on – not the best atmosphere in which to start a serious play.
“Jack was saying to me, ‘Do you think I could put the phone down between my legs to watch the penalties without disturbing other people?’”
When Corden came on stage with his tablet, he told the audience that they might not be able to see the action on his small screen but he would give a running commentary.
“People’s phones were streaming at slightly different speeds, so every time England scored, a cheer would start in one section of the audience and then ripple through the entire theatre as others caught up,” said Jack.
“Corden played it very well, he was quite charming and he engaged the audience. Anna Maxwell Martin and Zachary Hart were on stage too. There were lots of cheers and applause.”
There was a swift change of atmosphere as the play began.
According to the Guardian’s four-star review, the drama has “some great funny lines at the start, but that playfulness takes us unsuspectingly into darker psychological territory”. There are occasional “outbursts of violence” and “sudden bursts of tears”.
Switching gears from watching a penalty shootout to playing demanding parts in a serious play “can’t be easy, but the performances were excellent”, said Jack.
On Wednesday, the cast and audience will miss most of England’s semi-final against the Netherlands, which has an 8pm kick-off. “At least they’ll be able to watch the end of the game, and they won’t miss any extra time or penalties.”