There’s been much in the news this week about Taron Egerton’s Cock collapse. But really, March 2022 is always going to belong to his current stage co-star, Jonathan Bailey.
The 33 year old British actor (he’s 34 on 25 April… maybe April will be his month too) is in demand at the moment (understatement) on both stage and screen.
His star has been rapidly rising in the last few years, with notable stage performances including playing one half of a gay couple getting married in Marianne Elliot’s sublime revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, for which he deservedly won a 2019 Olivier Award; plus appearing alongside Ian McKellen in King Lear at Chichester Festival Theatre, and in David Hare’s South Downs, American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre, and The York Realist at The Donmar Warehouse.
Add to this reuniting with Marianne Elliot for her revival of Mike Bartlett’s COCK at the Ambassadors Theatre, which started previews on 5 March and officially opens on 15 March 2022. The play also stars Taron Egerton, Jade Anouka and Phil Daniels. Jonathan plays John, who is happily together with his boyfriend (Taron Egerton), until one day he meets the woman of his dreams (Jade Anouka).
Jonathan has big shoes to fill, as the original production of Cock at the Royal Court in 2009 starred Ben Whishaw as John, plus Andrew Scott as his boyfriend and Katherine Parkinson as the woman.
However, that stagey stuff is all very well (another understatement) but there’s also a global juggernaut of a TV series landing in March – on 25 March – that STARS Jonathan Bailey. Regency smash Bridgerton is back on Netflix and Season Two promises to be bigger than ever; and at its heart is Jonathan Bailey as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, the leading man of the season.
Viscount Anthony claims to not be interested in finding true love, but during his search for a wife he becomes embroiled in a love triangle with Sharma sisters Edwina (Charithra Chandran) and Kate (Simone Ashley), who have travelled from India to London for the social season.
From the images released for Season Two it seems that Jonathan is definitely pegged as the Sex Symbol of the Season, channeling Colin Firth in Pride & Prejudice, with a choice wet shirt scene, and the promise of lots of sex and complexity.
We can not wait.
Also to get your Bridgerton fix ahead of Season Two, why not visit a Bridgerton Ball in person and head to Secret Cinema’s spectacular, sumptuous immersive theatre experience, Secret Cinema presents Bridgerton.
Book tickets to COCK at the Ambassadors Theatre
