American here and former theater worker. Does this delay sound kind of annoying to me? Yes. Do I think it's a major deal? No. Life's annoying sometimes.

Blown way out of proportion. I was at Hello Dolly and kinda wish they’d done the same thing, I was in the upper circle and could see several phones with the match on, which is quite distracting. The ushers were doing a great job, but it’s not always easy for them to see.

We went to Starlight on Friday and the show was delayed for an extra 15-20 minutes because there was a crash where the lead and another actor were hurt to the point where they weren't allowed to continue, so understudies had to come in. Some families chose to leave as they would have missed their train. These things happen.

I think the reviewers and actors speaking up against it on Twitter are blowing it way out of proportion. Like they must know, no matter what the headline said, it wasn’t the sole decision of James Corden. It was only a bit of fun for 10 minutes

I’m Canadian, but I see a lot of theatre in Seattle. There was a very memorable performance of Book of Mormon back in 2016 that was held for ten minutes or so because the local sportsball team was finishing a game. At least a third of the audience was cosplaying in jerseys (a regular occurrence, I’ve found, whenever I’m seeing a show on game day). They won, a couple a fans ran across the balcony in celebration, and then we got on with a fantastic show. As someone living in a place that has a nasty habit of rioting every time our sportsball team makes the Stanley Cup finals and then inevitably loses, I am always grateful when they get knocked out early. But I don’t begrudge sportsball fans, and I’d far rather the house hold the curtain for a few minutes rather than be completely distracted by attendees who won’t put their phones away.

My initial reaction was that it was a fun thing to do. I would have been very annoyed if phones were on for 10 minutes during the play.. but I guess those complaining would prefer the distraction? Makes no sense to me ..

Whatever he did someone would complain - ignore the football and potentially having people on their phones checking the score and it being a distraction. - spend 10 mins with everyone watching together. I think what he did was fine - once over everyone can enjoy the play.

Non-Brit here but a huge theatre fan in a family of football fans. The Euro and the World Cup are indeed huge events, even though I truly don't like sports, I get it. I still have memories from the 2018 World cup when a big match was happening at the same time as a huge concert I went to with my family. My dad and brother were watching the game during the concert and I do remember being slightly frustrated by that as we're in this concert but at the same time I got it because it was important to them (I remember staying up late or checking my phone during classes to see the Oliviers and Tonys because that is someting I care about). The fact that the entire production came together to do this kind of thing FOR the fans really reminded me that theatre is first and foremost a community event, and to see a community coming together like that is actually beautiful, especially with the cast taking part in that event. Like it or not, sports matches are also, in a way, theatrical events and I remember some shows back home doing a similar thing during big events in the country as a way to celebrate the two communities (sports and arts) coming together.

I work for a community theatre, and we did exactly the same. We delayed the start time by 10 minutes as there were multiple people watching it on their phones

I'm not up to date on why the internet generally doesn't like Corden, but I did see him in LA about 2 months ago. He was with his daughter at a cat cafe. There were people who obviously knew who he was, some whispering to the sides and staring, and others who came up to him for a picture/to say hi. He seemed very attentive to his daughter and sort of interacting with cats, but mostly seemed like he trying to stay out of the way. He was giving 'tired dad vibes' and it was a reminder that he's a human being. seems like he's just an easy target for everyone to hate on for something that's obviously not within his control. *edit - i dont particularly care for him as a performer or know him personally, but these headlines are silly

I'm like you Mickey, I was never into football because of all the things you have mentioned: the trauma I experienced in school, etc. I personally wouldn't be upset to delay the show by a few minutes in order to make the show less disruptive down the line. Imagine the bright phone screens flashing on your faces if they decided to start on time! However, I would be more upset if they delayed it by more than 45 minutes (the length of a half of a match). I am dreading Wednesday as I am watching Next to Normal on that day. I do agree with what you say, you either have to watch football or the theatre, you cannot choose both.

If I were in that audience, I would've thought that was an unforgettable highlight of seeing the show! Watching theatre in the audience is supposed to be a communal experience anyway and so being able to share that experience in watching the game like you're watching the American Super Bowl would be a welcome opportunity. It's also rare to experience technical difficulties or unexpected events at theatre so some fans may be excited to experience that!

I think it was a very sensible decision. I have no skin in the game when it comes to James C., but it's a shame people would "blame" him for the decision. I am glad you have spoken out about it.

My Broadway touring theatre always starts 7 minutes late. Allows for the insanity of parking on a university campus and walking from the parking garage

Thank you for a sensible analysis of the situation. I hadn't even heard of the story, which makes me feel delighted that I'm not on Twitter anymore.

I read this on BBC news earlier and thought "Oh, thats a nice little moment, cute story!" I was surprised to hear people are apparently raging about it but tbh also not surprised because Twitter. This is why I dont bother with most social media and especially Twitter now. I commend you and others who need to keep active on social media for dealing with it!

I was in the room where it happened! The Guardian's article summed things up well, as much as I saw - certainly there felt a positive happy vibe that we were all in a community experience - partly surely why folk go to the theatre - and it was only a few minutes. I even took a photo, put it on 'X' and the Guardian asked if they could use it - it got printed next to their article 🤭

Things like this happen in the U.S. as well. Years ago, I was seeing a touring production of Barnum in San Francisco when the San Francisco 49ers were in the Super Bowl. This was way before cell phones. Many members of the audience were dying to know what was happening in the game, and when we started to hear cheering and car horns blaring outside the theatre, an audience member who had left the theatre to find out what was happening stood up and announced that the 49ers had won. It stopped the show for probably 15 minutes as most people in the theater celebrated the big win. The cast really were lovely about it. They laughed, waited until the crowd had calmed down, and then finished the show. This was not a heavy drama so I don't think it really ruined our experience seeing the show, but I can understand how some might have been upset. That said, if most of the audience is distracted, probably better to just pause the show. I think actors learn to deal with all kinds of interruptions, and if they can be good humored about something like this, then probably we should be too as audience members.

Im just happy you forgot to mention ‘Cats’ when talking about his musical roles - I’ve managed to successfully delete that film from my memory & i don’t want the memories back !😅

I work with a local performing arts venue, and they once had I think a comedy show there where phone usage was discouraged, but allowed. The show happened to fall during a big game for the local baseball team. Every other person in the venue was on their phones checking the baseball game, instead of paying attention to the performer. I think what happened here was fine, because the alternative would have been a sea of phones.

I think the audience interaction was sweet and it positively managed a difficult situation. As someone who doesn't follow football, it was positive to see people randomly queued up outside pubs and bars and happily shouting across to each other about the result on the streets. However, I do wonder generally if the specialness of going to the theatre (or cinema, a concert, any event) has been lost for many people as they seem to 'need' their phones/smart watches out at every moment and I wonder what they're all waiting or watching for. Is that message/notification really that important at that moment - in a live theatre? This event is all about being present and in the moment, but reflects on our society, where maybe some of the time, we can't be present and in the theatre enjoying the theatre for theatre's sake, or a spontaneous moment of community =) Seconded Mickey - we need to choose! I personally just don't get phone usage in theatres or other cultural venues - given how much a ticket costs for anything, I want my money's worth and to respect everyone involved and it gets my full attention!!! At the same time this was unprecedented and unexpected and the stage manager(s) reacted well to the situation - and had some fun!

Thank you for this balanced, objective viewpoint. As someone who likes theatre AND sport, I thought this (non) story was blown way out of proportion where some friends of mine (mainly theatre kids) went down the "OUTRAGE" route and believed what they read in the media. I've now just booked a ticket to see this after watching your video.

If this had been anyone other than James Cordon, the story would not have been misframed the way it was, it would have been reported truthfully as an audience and circumstance driven event that the actors all joined in with. But because its James Cordon, a man with a reputation for obnoxious rude diva behaviour, the media have deliberately misrepresented it because they know people will A: believe it, and B: love to hate James Cordon and they will get way more clicks from people seeking to bash him.

I went to see Fawlty Towers the play Saturday night and the audience cheered during the play. I was outraged

I hadn't heard anything about this 😂 We certainly live in a time when people are apt to take a misconception or outright lie and run with it before knowing all the facts. As distasteful as I find James Cordon, it does sound like this situation was blown way out of proportion. Appreciate your commentary as always!

Think there's a lot of truth that this would've been a total non-story without the big name attached to it, and a lot of people do dislike Corden and are happy for an excuse to kick him. (Kick him. Like a football. See what I did there?) TBF, I know that I'm part of that group, but I like to think I'm self-aware at least, and here isn't the place to litigate the reasons for the dislike.

In the Netherlands theater shows and concerts either started earlier or later to accommodate the football schedule. This to make certain the audience had the chance to see both the performance and the game ...

I don't think people online realise how much people in the UK love success of the national soccer team.

Coming from myself, a straight male who enjoys sports and theater, I think if I were in the audience that night, I'd have thought, "this is awesome!" because you get a special interaction with the actors. Also, I don't mind when plays start 10 minutes late. We've all been in the situation where we're stuck in traffic or gotten out of work late so you get to the theater late and hope the show start was delayed, I think of being ok with it as paying it forward. American-wise, I don't think a Team USA event would ever disrupt a show's starting time. American football/soccer isn't good enough (Mens, not womens, they're dominant) or rather popular enough to the point where the majority of a theater audience would care. The only way I think that would happen is if the regional professional team who has never won a championship before, let's say The Florida Panthers Hockey team recently or the Cleveland Guardians baseball team were in Game 7 of the Finals and it came down to the last 5 minutes of a close match where the start of a show might get delayed, but I think in this situation, the play would likely change its start time completely as not to conflict with the game.

I was at a concert on Saturday night, waiting for the supporting act to come on stage. Wasn't even thinking about the football. Then people started cheering . I looked around and realised that one in every 10 or 15 people had their phones out and were watching the penalty shootout. So we all watched. The band mentioned later on that they'd been watching in the green room, even though they were Americans and knew nothing about the tournament .I think it's perfectly natural that Corden and the other folks working on the production would be similarly diverted. Can't imagine why anyone would be surprised or put off by that.

I'm not a big football fan and do find the times around big tournaments like this somewhat trying for many of the reasons you mentioned-I generally try to avoid it as much as possible as I a) find football quite boring and b) hate the "lad" culture that can come along with the game. Having said that, I would have been far more pissed off if I'd been at the theatre for any performance and everyone had been trying to watch the football for the first ten minutes as people on their phones during performances drives me mad and would be far more disruptive than starting a little late!

I was seeing a play that day (not the Corden one). The guy sitting next to me had the game on his phone so I can confirm that waiting the few minutes for the game to end was not a bad shout. Plus in my experience, most plays start at least 5 minutes late these days anyway if not more, and you'll still have more stragglers coming in after that because so many people are incapable of being on time. Yes it's annoying but also not that big of a deal given the play only started 10 minutes late.

My thoughts are it’s not James cordens fault, the headline definitely was clickbait Also. If you’re at the theatre, why are people watching football On the day the Queen died I was at a book talk In Liverpool. There was a minutes silence

Samething happened at Silverstone with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. They delayed the driver Interviews because the crowd wanted to watch extra time and Penalties. This is a crowd of people only there to see the drivers. Yet they booed when the host tried to stop it.

A world class classical musician visited our city and was performing at the national arts centre. Surprisingly, our NHL team had made a deep run and were in an away game the same night as the concert. There was one man who attended with a radio and ear buds in listening to the game. There were many fans, as the team was all the rage but this was the only person who went this far. Randomly, one of players scored, and he loudly announced it mid concert. The performers heard and paused... they continued but at the end of the show security and someone official spoke to the man. Some people just don't care for decorum.

I don’t think it was Corden that caused the negative reaction, it was because it was football. If that was rugby or the Olympics it would’ve been fine. But football brings with it snobbery, particularly in England. And I don’t mean teenagers who make hating football their personality, I mean adults who despise the fact the country’s biggest sport is something that most working class people enjoy and that can turn working class men and women into millionaires. Anyone who regularly attends football is tarred as being both right wing and violent Btw, I’m Scottish, I don’t defend English fans lightly. But the venom directed at fans in general still shocks me. I’m glad that’s never lead to tragedy (yes that was sarcasm) I think most people wouldn’t have thought about the game and the theatre overlapping, the game was a 5pm kick off. I know it feels like it sometimes, but not every England game in the knockout stages goes to penalties. I suspect most, if not all would’ve put their phones away had the play started. But even if it was every game at every international tournament that would still only be a maximum four times a year. Give fans a break.

I think with the context it's cute, and people are just jumping on the "james corden is an asshole" train without cause. I think if it had been Tom holland it would have been an adorable story about quirky spider Romeo chatting with fans about football.

I don't understand why they didn't just start it on time. I don't care if people enjoy football on the phone before the show starts, but being loud and yelling "yes" at the theatre is just rude. There's a time a and place for that behavior, and the theater is not the right place. I doubt that everyone in the audience enjoyed this. If everyone there was OK with it and even enjoyed it, then there's no harm done. But overall it's very disrespectful and disruptive for everyone else. People who came for the show shouldn't have to be affected by a football game. And I agree that people should choose one or the other.

Great balanced piece. As a massive sport nut and former actor and regular theatre goer I get it completely. I think they did the right thing and I'd have been very grateful. And you are right, James Corden gets a lot of flack which I don't really get. OK he was rude in a restaurant in NY at some point, but we don't know why. We've probably all been a little rude in restaurants when the service hasn't been great and we've had a crap day. It happens. I can only think it's jealousy because the guy is talented, successful and has a lot of strings to his bow. He could be still earning millions in the US but chose to come home and do the work he wants to do for a small percentage of that. Good luck to him and the rest of the cast.

Definitely blown out of proportion - I think it makes sense compared to having a distracted audience! It's not like it's an everyday game or event, maybe it's not the final but it's still a big shock. I'm not a big football fan but I was still interested in watching the penalties so if I had been in the theatre that day it would have been fine with me.

Canadian here and in high school I was the drama geek that lived everything drama and theater. For us it was the hockey players who were glorified and held to an unreasonable standard and bullied us constantly. I was in my 30s before I realized that the high school kids were not the adult fans and I had to stop being that person who made hating sports my whole personality. I would have no issues if everyone took 10 min or so to watch the end of a big game and then everyone was able to put all phones away and enjoy the show for the rest of the evening. I've seen shows that James was in before he came to America and he was freakin hilarioius. I think going to America was the best and worst thing he did. I'm glad he's getting back to theater and just quietly doing his thing and I wish him the best, I really do. I think he got too into "being" American and he got carried away. He seems to want to just get back to the roots of who he is or where he started and I think that's a good thing. IMO this was a nothing burger and people are complaining just to complain on X because that's all they do.

Another American here and former high school drama teacher. The one area I want you to think about is the notion of the 'shared experience' which is what theater is. Separate that from the personality of James Corden who everyone seems to want to attack. I personally love the theatrical nature of a group of people coming together like a flash mob to watch the end of the game before the play begins. They will never forget that experience or that play -- and thank the theater wing for being agile enough to offer it. It doesn't have to do with the traditional war between sports and theater. It has to do with a live shared moment and that is actually cool. Using James Corden as a click bait headline stinks.

Thanks. Hadn’t heard this. Appreciate you taking the time to explain it. Agree with your points including the transit one. In the US, I think it might depend on what sport. Also, fans of specific teams would likely know the playoff schedule and would schedule other events accordingly. I am not sure how much overlap there would be for football/soccer fandoms and theatre. USA Men don’t win a lot so it would be surprising if it came up. Very much looking forward to more NYC content.

So for a short time a little over 20 years ago, I briefly decided to major in journalism and luckily switched my major because things were just starting to completely shift over to everything online and it would not have been the journalism I wanted to do. I became an English teacher and absolutely loved it, but that’s another story. Creating eye-catching headlines is a huge part of journalism. There are weeks even focused on it because it’s so important when you were really trying to sell newspapers. Kind of reminds me of newsies when they make up things that aren’t really what any of the stories are about to sell a paper. But you’re supposed to be ethical. That’s the number one thing, you are not supposed to sensationalize or lie about the content of your story. Ever since the volume of stories started to become so much more prolific with the Internet and turnover was so much greater, creating these sensational headlines for clicks became almost the number one thing to do. Because who cares if somebody reads your story, as long as they click on it. That’s all that matters. At least in the short term. So things have definitely changed and not for the better. And unfortunately, readers have to be smart these days and noticed trends with certain outlets because there are certain ones that do this astronomically more than others. So definitely pay attention because you can avoid some of these annoying things if you watch the trends of your favorite news outlets.

Wow the headlines really made me believe it was James going hey I want to watch this, certainly sounds like it was evident much of the audience would be watching and it was best to take a few minutes before starting the play to avoid the disruption and go into it with/ everyone happy and ready to pay attention. And with it being 90 mins straight through it’s so unlikely that anyone would be rushing for the train anyway. I’m usually quick to criticise James Corden and indeed football but I can’t see this as anything but a sensible choice by the production team and a quite wholesome moment too

Honestly, while this is only slightly frustrating to me, I think people are using this as an opportunity/excuse to get all of their rage from other stuff out at Corden. He's had a bad reputation as an entitled jerk for years, "porcine tool," "tiny cretin of a man," etc. And I know that theater people have been especially fed up with him due to his ubiquity - the section of Musical Hell's Cinderella review where she tears him a new one definitely comes to mind. I think that if it were a different celebrity who wasn't anywhere close to this hated already, we wouldn't have seen this big of a reaction

It’s coming home

I just imagine James Corden walking around backstage in a fur-trimmed robe and paper fan screaming at everyone 😭😂

A part of me is like- No big deal. But I do come from a very football heavy place (Spain), so, yeah, I have had my moments of wait because of a big match happening. Another one gets the frustration. I know how transport in London gets beyond a certain time, I know ticket prices and I know that it might even have been a portion of the audience who wasn’t from the UK (Corden is well known in America too) who had less patience with delays that a British person who might have been keeping an eye on the football themselves.

May I just say as much as I enjoyed this video I was mesmerized by your radiant skin! Omg you are glowing Mickeyjo!

I think this has been blown out of control (just using Corden name to make headlines). I was at the theatre (in Newcastle) on Saturday too and my show was delayed also. I didn't mind it (and most audience members didn't mind either). Theatre staff had ipads at the bars/merch stand with the match on, and most people in the audience where also watching it on their phones. As soon as the shoot out had finished (and the audience cheered the win) the house lights went out and the show started (with the actors making a joke saying there was no way they could start the show until the match had finished). The interval was slightly shorter but the show did end up finishing on time (so getting out for transport was fine). I think it was the right decision as it would have just had been a big distraction for everyone.

In Australia which is a sports mad country, there's an announcement before every performance that mobile phones need to be switched off or on silent. If an usher sees the glow of a phone screen during the show, the audience member is told to put their phone away or leave the auditorium. Why isn't this theatre etiquette observed in other countries? Having said that, there are times that performers tell the audience that they can get their phones out and take photos (usually at the end of the show) and they are encouraged to share their photos on social media.

Thanks for clearing that up. People need to calm down❤❤❤

I think it was an inspired move! It showed respect to the performance by removing distraction and enabling engagement… Thank you for this nuanced take!

If they had looked out and there was only a small selection of people interested then it probably wouldn’t have been delayed but if a large majority of people are going to be distracted then it’s not to anyone’s benefit. As a football fan and a theatre fan I have checked football scores in intervals so I wouldn’t have had a problem with them delaying the show. It’s not as deep as people are making it out to be

Thank you for correcting the record and teasing out the issues. Very interesting. I was in the audience to see Passion back in the 90s, and there was an important football match that night. At the stage door, Michael Ball told the story that the ushers had seen a red light in the audience and thought someone was recording, but it turned out they were watching the match. Later, I heard Michael interviewed, and he said that when England missed, someone shouted, “Oh, no!” at a tender moment. It didn’t happen, but it probably made a better story.

We were at a rock festival watching an ELO tribute band and they put the scores & ongoing penalty shoot out on the big screen. The audience loved it and cheered when England scored/won. It was a clever move. The band were given more attention I suggest, as people didn't need to watch their phones. I like James Cordon. I also like Nickleback 🤣

I am German and live and work in Düsseldorf, where among other things, the England match took place. Football is everywhere here, and there is hardly any other topic of conversation. I am definitely not a football fan and haven't watched any games. Clearly, it's annoying that the trains are full and there are fans everywhere when you just want to work or meet friends. However, this European Championship brings so many cultures together and people even watch the matches at work. The Schauspielhaus (a theatre )even put on a special play about football, and while it's not my thing, I would rather wait 10 minutes for the start of a play than have a restless audience. I was a child actress myself and in the theater it can happen very quickly that a performance does not start on time.

I think they made the best call given the circumstances. If it were a longer delay I could maybe understand the audience being upset but 10 mins isnt too bad. I find it pretty rare for shows to start on the dot anyway - at least where I am, not sure about the west end.

love the link of extra time to an encore! great stuff

I'm so glad you made this video. I'm one of those who love theatre and don't really care for football (beyond Ted Lasso) nor do I have a particular opinion on James Corden (other than being aware that he is a 'big name'), so I saw the various headlines and took them at face value and thought it was a bit of a twatty thing to do, without reading further. All of your points are valid and I'm glad you cleared it up. I go to the theatre three or four times a week and I reckon that at least half the shows start 5 or so minutes late anyway. Most members of the audience entertain themselves on their phones right up to the last minute. In the case of the on-stage football commentary, I suspect that members of the audience who weren't engaged with the game would have been happy scrolling or messaging for the extra 7 minutes, or tweeting 'You'll never guess what's happening at the Old Vic right now!' Thus achieving their own degree of 'fame'. Just for the record, I saw The Constituent last week and loved it. If anyone is thinking of going, I strongly recommend getting an on-stage seat, the view is superb.

This was misreported because the only thing people like more than building up a star is tearing them down

As an Aussie....i do think the company acted appropriately. And no....i dont see it as an issue how passionate Brits are

I had a similar experiences at an opener concert . I have no interest in the football but feel the delay was better than people watching it on their phones which would have happened out delay was a little longer the concert should have started at 7:15 Though I do think in general if you are someone with an interest in football eff and there is a clash they should have made the choice to either miss the end of the football and watch the theatre \concert or miss the performance to watch the football etc. I think for theatre and concerts eff phones should be off and put away the whole time anyway.

I’m Scottish and not interested in football but LOVE the theatre. However I have enjoyed the Euros especially when Scotland or England are playing and I think it sounds like it would have been a wonderful atmosphere and a special night at the theatre to remember and talk about. Years ago I was at the Lion King in the west end and there was a show stop as someone fell over so they obviously had to make sure they were ok or get an understudy. It started again after at least 15 minutes and by the end everyone had forgotten about it. Ten minutes to make it even more of a community event is absolutely not a big deal. I think it sounds great. Keep up the good work MJ ❤ and enjoy the rest of your trip. ❤

Fun Fact #1 - At the 2004 Isle of Wight festival, they delayed Bowie's set by 15 minutes so we could watch the end of the England - France Euro match. We lost but Bowie came on and cheered us all up! Fun Fact #2 - We were sat behind James Corden for the Just For One Day musical at the Old Vic. Personally, I think he's a funny and talented guy, but people love to hate unfortunately

I dont get why people wouldn't be annoyed. If you want to watch the football dont book to go to the theatre end of. It would be the same amount of annoying to me as people singing along or texting on their phones etc. I dont care about football, I paid to watch a show. I know that unavoidable delays happen but this was a completely avoidable delay! It's crazy how football seems to take over.

Hey Mickey, when is the Water for Elephants Review coming out?

Speaking as both a theatre and sport lover. If you're at the theatre, turn your phone off and immerse yourself in the theatrical moment, no sporting moment should cause the disruption/delay of a show. I was at the theatre Saturday and committed to the show; seeing the actors before the show watching the football on stage would have ruined the experience for me. Also that Guardian quote....if my partner asked me if they could keep their phone on during a show, that would have me questioning their values.

I don’t do sports ball things either, but a penalty shootouts metaphor could be opening/closing/actor farewell speeches post-encore?

Should be training people to put their phones away, not normalise it.

I think the animosity between sports and theatre has to do with it. And the fact that is james corden. Because i remember how in glastonburry Louis tomilson brought a tv and you didn’t get music fans being like “it presents football as more important than concerts” And also, there are many americans in the conversation, who might not get how it is for countries who like football a lot. I’m not British but i’ve had many delays in my life because there is a game playing at the same time. Specially when it’s something huge and important. I don’t say it’s right, but you get used to it. It’s like the countries that close everything at 12pm and open at 2-3pm. It’s inconvenient, but it’s the culture. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Whatever happened to people lightening up a bit. why does everything have to become a forced controversy. Everyone thats moaned werent even in the theatre so why its angered them i dont know. Possibly just because its James Corden

I was seeing Everybody's Talking about Jamie in London one year when the football was on and the person next to me watched the whole thing on their phone during the show and it was so distracting. We were quite near the front and I can only imagine how distracting it must've been to the cast onstage. If it had been my first time seeing the show I'd have been so annoyed.

Literally been to so many shows that have started 10 minutes late, it's soooo not that deep

not yall defending James Corden from x/twitter lmaooo

This makes James c look like normal Desmond But we had the same thing is Aussie There was a cirque du Soleil ice scathing show in the arena next to the stadium Where 80k ppl were watching the Aussie woman’s football team in the quarter finals. Most of the audieance were late so the pre show team just had fun with it And part way through the show one of the performers came out in the foot ball jersey and the audieance went crazy. I know sport isn’t for all but it is a powerful force to unite and uplift. So I have nothing but respect for the actors and production team for joining to celebration and creating a moment where they all united

American here so this might not be my place to comment.. but here I am. I'm a theater person, not a sports person, but i know both types of events have the dates set months in advance. So here is my thought. Why not plan ahead. If there is a football match planned that you want to watch..don't buy tickets for a theatrical production the same night. If its a huge thing why not have the theater dark that day so even the actors can watch. I feel like not planning ahead is the big issue here.

When I read the story I immediately thought what a sensible thing to do. I instantly thought of Michael Ball’s ‘Passion’ story and the disruption to ‘Titanic’ in Nottingham in 2018. A few minutes pause at the start saved a whole lot of disruption. While I understand the arguments about prioritising and planning it is easier to say than do and at least saves the poor front of house staff having to police those members of the audience who thought they could step away but had become a little bit more invested than planned!

The show start was delayed by 10 mins for the UK tour of Uncanny: I Know What I Saw too. Danny Robins knew that half the audience were watching the match on their phones in the auditorium, and there was a lot of chatter and excitement people interacting with each other. The audience were absolutely fine with the slightly delayed start, Danny had a laugh with them when he came on stage, then the show went on as planned. It was a very quiet, very dark show, and would have been extremely disrupted had they gone up on time. Happy resolution, happy audience, happy ushers 🙂

Also, lest we not forget crosswalk the musical is one of the funniest series I have ever seen in my life, and I regularly go back and watch through some of them and laugh so hard I can hardly stand it. If he just did those the rest of his life, no one would ever have an unkind thing to say about him 😂

As an American, I'm trying to think of a possible sporting event that would have the cultural significance to cause something like this, and I can't. Most big sporting events here - Super Bowl, World Series, etc - are scheduled ahead of time and people care about them usually whether or not "their team" made it. And international events - like the World Cup - just don't see as much investment. So I can't see something unexpected like this happening. That said, this seems like a great way to handle it. Enjoy the game as a whole group, and then everyone can enjoy the show together. No one has to choose. And I can definitely understand people in the audience that don't care about the game getting annoyed, but having the actors watch along can make up for that imo.

This sounds like a really nice thing for them to have done, I don't care about football but if I was in the audience I would have enjoyed it and valued it for the collective experience it was.

Thank you. 1. Some live sports, especially playoffs, are broadcast in the USA on free TV. West End performances are usually expensive. This might cause a rift. 2. Cordon won the Best Actor Tony for the Two Govs musical

I watched sister act that night and it was quite irritating. The person next to me pulled his phone out several times to check the score. Luckily it was only brief and not TOO distracting but still was a bit annoying.

I agree it's been totally blown out of proportion. It's sad, but the powers that be knew full well that a cohort of the audience wouldn't settle and decided to wait so that the experience wasn't hindered for the full audience. Good call if you ask me; sad - but good call.

Are u going to get to Cambridge Massachusetts to see gatsby?

It’s easy to tell that theatre & sports are 2 different animals - how often do people get into drunken (or sober) rows over whose regional theatre is better than whose?

You are back in New York? Wow! I think it’s time you start visiting some of the B other states and see the amazing theater, arts, and attractions that we have to offer all around the US. I realize that would take forever, but maybe a you could visit a couple states a year during your New York trips. The Midwest is fantastic for sure. Definitely start out with Chicago. I’m partial to Ohio and Kentucky and all of the truly cool beauty that we have here, but I get that time is short. Just a thought :)

I agree with you it is only 15 mins, no big deal let it go. He is a soccer fan and i give him 1000% credit he is sad he can't watch a ton of euro match's. Broadway musicals/plays can start late or even pause if an injury of a lead actor gets hurt in middle of the show. Have fun in NYC hope you get to see MJ and Back to the Future. It must be fun to be there after the Tony Awards. Hear "No One" sung by Maleah and Shoshana at a resort pool the other day by the DJ.

I'm late to the (football) game watching this as someone who is not a fan of either James Corden or football, but I think this sounds like a good compromise. Stevie Webb posted a video about what happened at his show when they did start on time and audience members still chose to watch the football on their phones, so this is definitely a safer move all round.

. Have fun in NYC hope you get to see MJ and Back to the Future. It must be fun to be there after the Tony Awards. Hear "No One" sung by Maleah and Shoshana at a resort pool the other day by the DJ.

Terrific opinion piece.

Outstanding & balanced as usual ❤🎉….I enjoy seeing James Corden, he is a fantastic performer & he’s getting a lot of bad rap unjustifiably in my view, he has become a beast of burden by sensation seeking nobodies

So many things were probably delayed in London for the match it's definitely not a big deal.

😮 Martin Guerre mentioned I didn't know James Corden had been in it, but I'm desperate for news of th suppossed revival

The only concern I potentially have for this, is would this ever happen next year if England (Defending champions) were in a semifinal match for the Womens Euro Championships...If the mens national team is embedded so deeply into the national culture then we must do more to ensure that the same attention is given to the womens team

The real news here is you and Aeron are back in NYC. I thought you guys saw everything in your last trip. What plays and musicals are left for you guys to see that you haven't already seen?

It's only 10 minutes.

The delay was worth it because it gave us the most adorable thing ever, Mickey Jo miming sniffing around. Seriously, that needs to be a gif. 😂❤