'Rocketman' star Taron Egerton faints during first night of new play
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Rocketman star Taron Egerton has reassured fans after fainting during the first night of his new play.
The actor is currently starring in a revival of Mike Bartlett’s 2009 play Cock at London’s Ambassadors Theatre, and fainted on stage during a preview performance on Saturday night (March 5).
Egerton was taken care of by a doctor in the audience, after which his understudy Joel Harper-Jackson stepped up and carried on the performance with the rest of the cast.
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“As some of you may have heard, I passed out during the first performance of Cock last night,” Egerton wrote on his Instagram story wrote (via Huffington Post). “I am completely fine. Slightly sore neck and a bruised ego but I’m fine.
“I’ve decided to put a positive spin on it and I would appreciate it if anyone who was in the theatre last night just said that I gave such a committed, electrifying performance that my body couldn’t handle it and checked out.”
He then added that he will return to the stage tonight (March 7). “That being said, apparently you’re meant to actually do the full show and not just three quarters of it,” Egerton wrote. “So I’ll be back with a vengeance tomorrow night.”
The actor also praised his understudy as “an amazing actor and a lovely person”, adding: “Thank you Joel.”
Harper-Jackson said that stepping up to take Egerton’s place was “an absolute privilege” in a statement on social media.
Last night was an absolute privilege. Taron is a true gentleman, has been so supportive & most importantly he’s okay & will be back on Monday. The team at @cocktheplayldn have been so supportive & I feel extraordinarily lucky to have experienced that moment. I’ll never forget it. pic.twitter.com/57LkXuHY9I
— JOEL HARPER-JACKSON (@JoelHarperJacks) March 6, 2022
“Taron is a true gentleman, has been so supportive & most importantly he’s okay & will be back on Monday,” he wrote.
“The team at @cocktheplayldn have been so supportive & I feel extraordinarily lucky to have experienced that moment. I’ll never forget it.”
Taron Egerton most recently starred in Sing 2, and played Elton John in Rocketman back in 2019. In a five-star review of the film, NME said of Egerton’s performance: “He’s a powerful singer and can swell to match John’s huge personality, while also quietening everything for some really moving scenes of despair and hurt.”
