The cast of The Constituent puts sportsmanship ahead of showmanship on the West End

In the sporting world, many eyes are currently on Germany, and rightly so. The2024 European Association Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2024) is in full swing, having started on June 14. Celebrities, royals, and citizens are hoping for a win for England's team in the games to come, which end on July 14.

England's quarterfinal match against Switzerland was a crucial faceoff and even garnered the interest of Prince William, who attended the game in Dusseldorf and displayed great enthusiasm throughout the evening.

Long-Distance Anticipation

Back home, even theater-goers were focused on the fate of the England team. BAFTA and Emmy winner James Corden is currently featured in the world premiere of The Constituent and describes the decision to address an audience need in The Guardian

"We thought: ‘Oh man, this is tough but we’ve got to start.’ 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. 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 favourite moments that I’ve ever had really."

- James Corden

It must have been wonderful to be united in the excitement over England's prospects. England will now advance to the semifinals as a result of the late-in-the-game penalty shoot-out. Once the cast of this world premiere by Joe Penhall and directed by Matthew Warchus had shared in the joy, they got on with the show.

Worth the Wait

The Constiuent is about "An MP with an instinct for compassion. An ex-serviceman with a life in free fall. And a parliamentary protection officer who's having none of it." It is currently playing at the Old Vic, London and tickets are available through August 10, 2024 at this time.

The Guardian reported that the July 6 show started ten minutes later than billed, but it is certain that thanks to Anna Maxwell Martin, James Corden, and Zachary Hart, the audience will always remember where they were the night that England won the quarterfinals.