James Corden has delayed the West End run of his play to broadcast the England vs Switzerland match live.
The 45-year-old actor is currently starring alongside Anna Maxwell Martin in a production of The Constituent at The Old Vic in London and kept audiences waiting on Saturday as he watched England claim victory on penalties.
The Gavin and Stacey star then lost signal on his iPad so he invited an audience member on stage to stream the match on his phone.
After England scored their winner from the tense penalty shoot-out, James jumped for joy and the crowd applauded.
Becky Harris, who was in the audience, said Metro.co.uk“What a chance! James was at the side of the stage just before it started (the show) with his iPad watching the game.
James Corden has delayed the West End run of his play to broadcast the England vs Switzerland match live.
After England scored their winner from the tense penalty shoot-out, James jumped for joy and the crowd applauded.
“He then walked out as the crowd started calling his name and brought the iPad out on stage and he and his co-star broadcast the penalties.”
But Harris noted that in the end, when the Late Late Show host had poor reception on his tablet, he relied on an audience member to help him out.
She said: ‘The broadcast started buffering so a man in the front row started telling James what was happening.
‘James told him to come with his phone and everyone started watching him on stage together!’
This role is James’ first since returning to the UK after a nearly decade-long stint in the US.
While in the US, he took on late-night talk show hosting duties and interviewed megastars such as Adele, Britney Spears and Pink for his carpool karaoke series.
The work deconstructs politics, panic alarms and the conflict between public service and personal security.
The work deconstructs politics, panic alarms and the conflict between public service and personal security.
James last starred in a West End show a decade ago in One Man, Two Guvnors in 2011 and before that he starred in Martin Guerre in 1996.
Playwright Joe Penhall said: ‘I started writing this play four years ago because I was fascinated and horrified by the growing antipathy towards elected politicians.
‘But during lockdown it felt like the theatre was over, so when I showed a first draft to Matthew and he had such a confident vision of it, I was both excited and doubtful about our chances.
“It’s beyond exciting to finally be able to do it and I feel totally indebted to The Old Vic and everyone involved for allowing us to get this far.”