Taron Egerton faints on stage during first night performance of new West End play

Taron Egerton worried the audience of his new play after collapsing on stage midway through the performance.

The Rocketman star, 32, was performing a new production of Mike Bartlett’s 2009 play Cock alongside Jonathan Bailey when he passed out.

According to crowd members at London’s Ambassadors Theatre, one of Egerton’s co-stars stopped the opening night performance and a safety curtain went down, leaving the audience sat around waiting for an update on his health.

On Twitter, an audience member said that a doctor from the crowd rushed to the stage to help him.

After a 40-minute break, in which the production team “assessed the situation”, the play’s director, Marianne Elliott, came on stage to reassure revellers that Egerton was “absolutely fine”.

However, Elliott said that his understudy, Joel Harper-Jackson, would continue in his place for the remaining 15 minutes.

Audience member Sue Nelson wrote on Twitter that the news that Egerton was alright received “huge applause”.

A statement from the play’s production read: “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.”

Cock, which also stars Phil Daniels, follows a gay couple who are rocked when one falls in love with a woman (Jade Anouka).

The play marks Egerton’s West End debut and, in between updating people on Egerton’s health, audience members praised his “sensational” performance as well as the production.

It will run until 4 June and will continue its run as normal n Tuesday (8 March).