Theatre

Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton to play gay couple in West End show: ‘C**k’

Sep 24 2021
Written by Jonny Yates

Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton are starring in West End play C**k. (Dave Benett/Getty Images & Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton are going to star in a West End play entitled, Cock, yes really.

The pair will star as a gay couple in the play’s revival, which explores sexual identity and labelling.

They will star in Cock at Ambassadors Theatre between 5 March and 4 June, with tickets now on sale at ATGTickets.com.

Bridgerton actor Bailey will play John, a man who identifies as gay, and is happy in himself and with his boyfriend, played by Egerton.

However, when he meets ‘the woman of his dreams’ he begins to question his sexuality and how he labels himself.

The announcement of the show and its cast has already received quite the thirsty reaction on social media.

One Twitter user wrote, “the aisles are going to be like a slip and slide”, with somebody else saying “can I be in the middle”.

Others responded saying, “tickets for this are not just a want but a NEED” and “who reached into my subconscious and made my dream a reality?”.

Can I be in the middle? https://t.co/K9apJc4emJ

— Rhys (@LowkeyRhys) September 24, 2021

Egerton played Elton John in the singer’s biopic Rocketman, where he learnt what a “bussy” is, and filmed some “raw, electric” gay sex scenes with his co-star, Richard Madden.

However there’s been some questioning towards the casting of the actor in yet another gay role, as he’s previously clarified that he’s straight.

A number of Twitter users have echoed the same thoughts, with one writing, “if its straight actors playing gay I’m not interested”.

Bailey has previously weighed in on the debate saying, “I think it should matter at all what character people play” but adding, “wouldn’t it be brilliant to see gay men play their own experience?”.

He previously told Digital Spy: “There’s a reason why gay characters are so interesting […] there are a lot of hurdles and there’s a lot of self-growth, and there’s a real strength to gay men.”

Cock originally debuted in 2009 at Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, starring LGBT+ actors Ben Whishaw and ‘hot priest’ Andrew Scott in the lead roles.

This upcoming revival will also star Jade Anouka and Phil Daniel, and it will be directed by Marianne Elliott.