Taron Egerton faints on stage during first Cock performance
"A doctor who was in the audience attended to Taron immediately after the incident," reads a statement from the production..
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude; Image: Matt Crockett
Taron Egerton left audiences concerned after fainting on stage during the opening night of new West End play Cock.
The Welsh actor, 32, was performing the first preview of the eagerly-antipated drama alongside Jonathan Bailey on Saturday 5 March when he unexpectedly collapsed on stage.
According to audience members at at London’s Ambassadors Theatre, one of Egerton’s co-stars stopped the production before a safety curtain went down.
A doctor in the crowd rushed to the stage to help Egerton, before a long break in which the audience anxiously waited for an update on the actor’s health.
Taron Egerton (Image: Wiki Commons)
After 40 minutes, director Marianne Elliott took to the stage to reassure theatre-goers that Egerton was feeling “absolutely fine” but that understudy Joel Harper-Jackson would step in to complete the remaining 15 minutes of Cock.
A statement from the production reads: “During this evening’s first preview of Mike Bartlett’s play Cock at the Ambassadors Theatre, Taron Egerton fainted towards the end of the performance.
“A doctor who was in the audience attended to Taron immediately after the incident, and whilst he felt fine, it was decided that Taron’s understudy, Joel Harper-Jackson would continue in the role to complete the performance.”
Left to right: Taron Egerton plays ‘M’, Jonathan Bailey plays ‘John’ and Jade Anouka plays ‘W’ in Cock (Image: Matt Crockett)
Cock sees Egerton and Bailey star a couple whose relationship comes under strain when one of them begins a relationship with a woman (Jade Anouka).
The play is next set to be performed on Monday 7 March – with tickets available now here.
Cock marks Egerton’s first theatre role for nine years, while Bridgerton star Bailey is returning to the West End stage for the first time since his Olivier Award-winning turn in the 2018 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company.
Written by Mike Bartlett, Cock was first staged in 2009 with Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott and This Is Going To Hurt‘s Ben Whishaw in the lead roles.
An official synopsis of the play reads: “In a world full of endless possibilities why must we still limit ourselves with labels?
“Mike Bartlett’s razor sharp play about love and identity redefines the battle of the sexes as we know it.”
Cock is at London’s Ambassadors Theatre Saturday 5 March – Saturday 4 June 2022. For tickets click here.