James Corden Joins The Phantom of the Opera Cast

Despite learning he will not be playing his dream role of The Phantom, James throws himself into the role of Fop 2 and puts on a performance to remember

AM I EXCITED TO PLAY THE
PHANTOM?

OF COURSE.

YES.

YOU KNOW.
ANYONE WHO LOVES THEATER AS MUCH

AS I DO WOULD BE INTO THE IDEA.
BUT YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY OH,

YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH THE SHOW.

YOU LOVE THAT SHOW.
I'M NOT OBSESSED WITH IT.

YOU KNOW.
I LIKE LOTS OF SHOWS.

♪ I START A JOURNEY THROUGH A
STRANGE NEW WORLD ♪

THERE IS LOTS OF SHOWS I WOULD
LIKE TO BE IN AS WELL AS

"PHANTOM OF THE OPERA."
"THE KING AND I ACCOUNTS.

-- AND I."

SMELL THAT?
SMELLS LIKE HOME.

TO THINK THAT TONIGHT THESE --
ALL OF THESE SEATS WILL BE FULL

OF PEOPLE.

UP THERE.
LESS WEALTHY PEOPLE.

[LAUGHTER]
15-YEAR-OLD JAMES CORDEN.

TONIGHT IS THE FIRST TIME I'LL
BE WEARING IT WITHOUT PEOPLE

SAYING WHY ARE YOU WEARING THAT
IN A RESTAURANT?

HEY, GUYS.

HOW ARE YOU?

JAMES.

JUST CALL ME JAMES.
HOW ARE YOU?

NICE TO MEET YOU.
I JUST WANTED TO COME AND SAY

I'M JUST -- I'M JUST THE SAME AS
ALL OF YOU.

YEAH?
BECAUSE I HAD A DREAM.

AND I GUESS IN MANY WAYS, I'M
YOUR DREAM AND I JUST WANT

TONIGHT TO BE A SPECIAL, SPECIAL
NIGHT.

YEAH?
>> DO YOU KNOW THE PART?

JAMES: DO I KNOW THE PART?

BLESS YOU.

YOU'RE VERY SWEET.

DO I KNOW THE PART?
15-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

16-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

17-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

18-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

22-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

23-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS THE PART.

35-YEAR-OLD ME KNOWS PART.

GUESS WHO ELSE KNOWS THE PART?

26-YEAR-OLD KNOWS THE PART.
RIGHT HERE.

♪ WOW.

>> HI THERE.

CAN WE HELP YOU?

JAMES: I DON'T KNOW.

I WAS JUST GOING TO MAYBE STEAM
MYSELF BEFORE THE SHOW.

IF YOU DON'T MIND.

>> I'M SORRY.
WHO ARE YOU?

JAMES: JAMES CORDEN.

I'M PLAYING THE PHANTOM TONIGHT.

>> I'M CHRISMAN.

I PLAY THE PHANTOM.
JAMES: NICE TO HAVE A NIGHT OFF.

>> I THINK THERE MIGHT BE A
LITTLE CONFUSION.

I THINK YOU'RE PLAYING THE
CELEBRITY WALK-ON ROLE AS THE

HAIRDRESSER.

WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO HAVE YOU.

EVERYBODY HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT
IT.

JAMES: SORRY.
WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

>> YOU'RE PLAYING THE
HAIRDRESSER.

JAMES: SORRY, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

>> I'M CHRIS MANN.
JAMES: JAMES CORDEN.

THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS ON MY TONY
AWARD.

>> I THINK THERE IS A LITTLE
CONFUSION.

I THINK JAMES NEEDS TO BE SHOWN
TO HIS HAIRDRESSER ROOM.

>> LET'S GO.

JAMES: I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS
GUY'S ATTITUDE JUST SO YOU KNOW.

>> BREAK A LEG.
JAMES: I'LL BREAK A BLOODY LEG

ALL RIGHT.

>> SEE YOU OUT THERE.
JAMES: WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE

GOING, BENNY?
>> WE'RE GOING TO YOUR DRESSING

ROOM, SIR.

JAMES: SORRY.
IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?

I HAVE COME HERE TO PLAY THE
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AND NOW I'M

TOLD I'M PLAYING A BLOODY
HAIRDRESSER.

LOOKS LIKE MY DRESSING ROOM IS
IN SAN FRANCISCO.

THIS IS AN UBER RIDE FROM THE
STAGE.

>> THIS IS YOUR ROOM.
JAMES: RIGHT.

SORRY, AM I BEING "PUNK'D"?
>> REHEARSAL IS IN 10 MINUTES.

JAMES: I CAME TO REHEARSE, ME
SINGLE THE "THE MUSIC OF THE

NIGHT."
>> 10 MINUTES.

JAMES: ♪NIGHTTIME HEIGHTENS
EACH SENSATION ♪

JUST GIVE ME A FEW MINUTES.
RIGHT, SORRY.

I THOUGHT EVERYONE WOULD BE IN
COSTUME.

>> ♪
>> ♪

>> ♪
JAMES: CIRCLE BACK ON THAT.

SORRY.

I KNOW IT SAYS SECOND -- CAN I
-- I'M GOING TO CALL HIM DAVID.

OK?
♪ HIS LORDSHIP IS A --

>> NO.

JAMES: I KNOW THAT --
>> ANDREW LLOYD WEBER KIND OF

ALREADY MADE SOME DECISIONS FOR
YOU.

JAMES: IT IS LORD ANDREW LLOYD
WEBER SO LET'S GET IT RIGHT.

REMINDS ME OF MY HIT MOVIE "INTO
THE WOODS" WHICH IS ME AND

MERYL.

DIFFERENT NOW.

>> ♪
>> ♪

JAMES: HIS LORDSHIP IS A
LAUGHINGSTOCK ♪

>> ♪ GENTLE LIFE
♪

[APPLAUSE]
JAMES: THAT IS A BIT MUCH, ISN'T

IT?
I JUST DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE

GOING TO HEAR ME.
>> ♪ HIS LORDSHIP IS A

LAUGHINGSTOCK ♪
>> YOU'RE THE HAIR DRESSER SO

YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING
SURE THE WIG IS PROPERLY

POWDERED.
SORTS OF.

MAYBE NOT SO MUCH FLOURISH.
FROM HERE YOU SAY --

JAMES: MAYBE LIKE THIS?
>> NO, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO

TAKE AWAY FROM WHAT'S HAPPENING
OVER HERE.

JAMES: CAN I LEAN ON THE HARP?

>> NO.

JAMES: I CAN'T TOUCH THE HARP?

WHY CAN'T I TOUCH THE HARP?
>> THIS IS A PROP THAT YOU'RE

NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH.
THANK YOU.

OK.
MOVING ON.

SO FROM HERE, YOU'RE GOING TO GO
♪ POOR FOOL HE DOESN'T KNOW ♪

♪
JAMES: YEAH.

>> DID YOU JUST TOUCH THAT?
♪ POOR FOOL HE DOESN'T KNOW ♪

♪
♪

JAMES: HE IS NOT THE STAR.

THE SHOW DOESN'T WORK WITHOUT
HIM.

DOESN'T WORK WITHOUT HIM.
AND HE IS GOING TO FLY TONIGHT.

OH, MY GOD!
WHO IS THAT?

THAT'S NOT ME.

OH, MY GOD!
OH, MY GOD!

I JUST LOOKED IN THE MIRROR AND
I SAW -- I SAW DAVID AND I WAS

LIKE WHERE IS JAMES?

THEN I REMEMBERED, I'M NOT
JAMES.

OVERTIME GOING TO BLOW THE DOORS
OFF THIS THING.

[LAUGHTER]
I'M IN CHARACTER.

DON'T.

DON'T DO IT.

[LAUGHTER]
HOW ARE THEY?

ARE THEY A GOOD CROWD?

>> IT IS EARLY TO TELL.
JAMES: PROBABLY NEED SOMEONE TO

LIFT THEM UP OUT THERE, I
IMAGINE.

>> YOU GOT THIS.

JAMES: I NEED A PASTRY OR
SOMETHING.

DAVID, DAVID, DAVID!

[LAUGHING]
ALL TOGETHER: OH!

>> ♪
>> ♪

JAMES: ♪ HIS LORDSHIP IS A
LAUGHINGSTOCK ♪

ALL TOGETHER: SHAME, SHAME,
SHAME ♪

>> ♪
[APPLAUSE]

♪
JAMES: OH, GOD!

OH, GOD!

I CRUSHED IT!
CRUSHED IT!

YES!

I KNOW WE HAVE HAD OUR UPS AND
DOWNS AND JUST THOUGHT WE CAME

TOGETHER AS FOPS.
YOU SHOULD FEEL THEM.

THEY WERE LIKE MORE FOPS.
A DREAM ACHIEVED.

A DREAM ACHIEVED.
[APPLAUSE]

DO I REGRET THE WAY I REACTED TO
THE WAY I ACTED WHEN I HEARD I

WASN'T PLAYING THE PHANTOM?
YES, I DO.

SHOULD I HAVE PUT THAT IN A BOX
AND SENT IT TO ANDREW LLOYD

WEBER?

NO, OF COURSE, I SHOULDN'T.
BUT MY BIGGER REGRET IS NOT

REALIZING THAT THE ACTUAL
HEARTBEAT OF THE MUSICAL

IS THE
FOP 2.

WE ARE ALL FOPS.

WE ARE ALL FOPS 2.

[APPLAUSE]
JAMES: I WANT TO THANK ALL THE

TEAM AT
"THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA."

IT REALLY IS A SPECTACULAR NEW
PRODUCTION.

IT'S CURRENTLY ON TOUR.
VISIT THEPHANTOMOFTHEOPERA.COM

FOR DETAILS OF WHERE YOU CAN SEE
YOU KNOW, PROPER PERFORMANCES OF

IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.