Taron Egerton Drops Out of West End Play ‘Cock’ After Short Run

Taron Egerton has dropped out of the West End play Cock, less than a month after performances began.

The 32-year-old actor was starring alongside Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey, but he has dropped out “due to personal reasons.” He will be replaced in the show by understudy Joel Harper-Jackson.

Taron‘s ill-fated run in the show was off to a bumpy start during the first performance when he collapsed on stage in the middle of the show. The play officially opened on March 15, but one week later he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to miss a week of performances. Now, he won’t be returning.

Click inside to read the official statement…

The producers of the play said in a statement, “Joel Harper-Jackson will take over the role of M in Mike Bartlett‘s razor sharp, hilarious play Cock until the end of the run. The part was originally played in this production by Taron Egerton, who has had to withdraw from the production due to personal reasons. Joel understudied the role and has been playing the part of M for the past ten days while Taron was absent from the production having tested positive for Covid.”

Jonathan said, “Joel is an immense talent and we couldn’t be luckier to have him on board. I am proud to continue sharing the stage with him.”

Director Marianne Elliott said, “Joel is an absolute hero. He is a brilliant and gifted actor and stepped into the role at extremely short notice. Audiences have been standing and cheering and so am I.”

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