James Corden Delays Play to Watch England Soccer Match

James Corden and his co-stars delayed the start of their West End production so that they, and the audience members, could finish watching an England soccer match.

Corden is currently performing alongside Anna Maxwell Martin and Zachary Hart in the political drama "The Constituent" at London's Old Vic, Deadline reported.

Realizing on Saturday that he wasn't the only one eager to catch the end of the England match before stepping on stage, Corden decided to delay the start of the play. He told The Guardian that he and his co-stars waited until the penalty shootout concluded, which saw England advance to the tournament semifinals.

"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," he said.

"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," he continued.

"It wasn't the time to start a serious play about serious issues. So me and Anna and Zach went out on stage with an iPad and were commentating [on the shootout]. It was really wonderful, alive, a glorious collective experience. One of my favorite moments that I've ever had really."

Audience members Jack and Rachel Moss recalled watching the game on their TV, then on the bus on the way to the theater.

"We got there about 7:15 p.m. and went straight to our seats," said Jack Moss. "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 Moss described the scene as "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?' " she said.

Then Corden and his co-stars began their running commentary on penalties from the stage.

"Corden played it very well, he was quite charming and he engaged the audience. There were lots of cheers and applause," said Jack Moss.

The play began 10 minutes later than billed.