James Corden Sparks Debate After Delaying Play To Let Audience Watch England Penalty Kicks

The start of live performances can be subject to several reasonably unforeseen circumstances, unlike at concerts of a certain pop icon who starts shows whenever they feel like it, significantly well past advertised showtimes.

Former late-night talk show host James Corden, who rose to prominence with the BBC TV sitcom Gavin & Stacey and in the 2011 comedy play One Man, Two Guvnors—for which he won the Tony after it transferred to Broadway—returned to his theater roots last month to star in the new West End play The Constituent at London's Old Vic Theatre.

Corden found himself in the hot seat after a decision was made to delay The Constituent's scheduled performance time on Saturday.

What caused the delay, you ask?

The three-person cast, crew, and audience wanted to watch England take on Switzerland live in the tie-breaking penalty shootout during the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship's quarterfinal, which was a huge deal for British sports fans.

According to Daily Mail, Liverpool football star Trent Alexander-Arnold scored England's fifth consecutive penalty and simultaneously broke a tournament record with the hardest spot kick in Euro 2024 so far, clocking in at a maximum speed of 78 m.p.h.

The Constituent's opening scene was delayed by roughly 11 minutes past the show's scheduled performance time of 7:30 p.m.

The decision to hold off on starting the show was one that Corden would not have had the authority to make and was a rare theatrical protocol exception.

This was largely due to the Brits not anticipating England making it this far in the game after winning four consecutive group stages since June 16, or for the quarterfinals to last as long as it did on Saturday.

Audiences were glued to their phones inside the theater as Alexander-Arnold prepared for the coup de grace against Switzerland.

Indy 100 said circulating videos showed Corden watching the game with his co-star Zachary Hart on a smartphone placed on a desk onstage.

Corden told the audience they were all going to watch the penalties and “then a very serious, intense, political play.”

He was heard commenting in anticipation, “Trent’s up. Come on Trent" as the footballer stepped up.

Other footage showed the Tony winner with his arm around an audience member watching Alexander-Arnold score the penalty and subsequently rising to his feet in triumph.

Corden then handed the phone back to an audience member and joined the cast on stage to start the performance.

Social media users were divided over the incident.

It was easy for infuriated theater fans to aim their resentment at Corden, even though he wasn't directly responsible for causing the delay, likely due to his bad public persona that made headlines in the past.

Others celebrated the rare situation of stars and the audience bonding over an exciting moment in sports.

In response to some of the scathing attacks on Corden, some users thought what happened was a better alternative to audience members covertly glancing at their phones and distracting others inside the darkened theater during the show.

Corden recalled what went on backstage before Saturday's performance, telling The Guardian:

"When it got to extra time, we put on our costumes. The extra time finished about three minutes before the play was due to begin."

"We thought: ‘Oh man, this is tough but we’ve got to start.’"

"Then we heard a ‘Yessss’ from the audience, and we looked at each other and said: ‘They’re all watching it.’ We looked out and there were loads of little lit-up phones in the audience."

“It wasn’t the time to start a serious play about serious issues," Corden told the media outlet of the "volatile new play."

The Constituent was written by playwright Joe Penhall, and its serious element, with touches of dark comedy, centers on the exploration of serious threats facing UK Members of Parliament while they engage with their constituents.

After realizing the audience's preoccupation with the game, Corden, along with his co-stars, BAFTA Award winner Anna Maxwell Martin and An Enemy of the People star Zachary Hart, subsequently went out on stage with an iPad and started doing commentary during the penalty shootout to the delight of the surprised audience.

"It was really wonderful, alive, a glorious collective experience," said Corden, adding that it was, "One of my favorite moments that I’ve ever had really.”

While there was some backlash to the play's delay with social media users unfairly targeting Corden because of his name recognition, one can't argue that Saturday's thrilling Euro 2024 moment gave The Constituent audiences a special memory they'll never forget.

Godspeed to the staff and management at West End theaters on Wednesday when they're likely to face the more difficult challenge of enforcing the phones-off rule as England takes on the Netherlands in the semifinals during the matinees.