James Corden Delays Start of Play for a Very British Reason

A dramatic political play starring James Corden at London's famed Old Vic Theatre started about 10 to 15 minutes late on Saturday evening, but everybody was in a pretty good mood about it. As the BBC reports, The Constituent was scheduled to begin just as a big soccer match between England and Switzerland went into a penalty shootout. Corden tells the Guardian that he and other cast members had been watching in their rehearsal room and were going to start the play anyway when they looked out at the audience and noticed that a lot of people were following the game on their phones.

"It wasn't the time to start a serious play about serious issues," the former late-night host explains. "So me and Anna (Maxwell Martin) and Zach (Hart) went out on stage with an iPad and were commentating [on the shootout]." Watch the moment unfold here. "It was really wonderful, alive, a glorious collective experience," he adds. "One of my favorite moments that I've ever had, really." One thing that helped: England won the shootout, notes Sky News. (More James Corden stories.)