Beautiful Game: Dear England, Prince Edward Theatre, London
A tour de force James Graham play. Even by his own high standards he has ramped up his content, challenge, style and poignancy, matched by Rupert Goold’s direction and Es Devlin’s set design. Set in the England football team, the team and manager’s struggles to change (win and lose) mirror the UK’s own ongoing identity crisis. Working on many different levels (for the football fan or the clueless) the writer is not afraid to touch emotions, examine painful moments and leave you with a smile on your face. (Yes there is an opportunity to sing ‘Sweet Caroline’).
The set design is distinctive, utilising music and media effectively. A moving circular stage (often with several moving parts) is scored by pitch tactics. Over times the scratches and strategy marks increase. Overhead is a large ring light which doubles up as a helpful aid for those who have no idea about football or what is going on. Here you will see the names of players, scores, goals, matches. At points a backdrop becomes a presentation feature showing penalties in matches and footage from matches, as well as Wembley Stadium.
The staging and choreography (movement) is equally dynamic. Deploying chairs and wheeled cabinets with England players shirts on them, the locker rooms, training sessions and angst of the England team are conjured up, as well as their passion and commitment. The actors effectively create a elite athlete physique and energy as well as the emotional core of the play — no mean feat given that we are watching a play about people kicking a ball. What does it mean to lose well? To become reflective and responsible? To allow others to win? To trust and support even if you miss a penalty (infront of the watching world)? And to that end what does it mean to be English, what are ‘British values’, why three Lions and how can you be kind in a competitive world? By including a female psychologist and the Lionesses, there were some neat and topical comments about women’s world class football too, which I didn’t expect.
Stand-out performances were from Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate and Will Close as Harry Kane. There was also a touching moment from Denzel Baidoo as Bukayo Saka talking about why he loves the Bible and the centrality of his Christian faith.
In examining Southgate’s leadership of the England team, the play looks at how he encouraged them to face their fears, lose and win well, be gentle, be themselves rather than what they do or didn’t do, and use their voice. The play sweeps across pandemic and the weird world of socially distanced no crowds football, social change, racism, justice and how people care for each other. It also considers how you deal with losing when you’ve become representative of a nation — a weeping Kane, or the three. Powerful stuff. There is celebration too — some brilliant slo mo’s as goals are scored or a Vindaloo dance-off with Morris men and St George! What struck me is just how young the players were — such as Marcus Rashford (Darragh Hand), and in a heartbreaking moment of much older (comparatively) Wayne Rooney (Gunnar Cauthery) being let go.
Mixing comment and comedy, there is the voice from the crowd. Everyone, including vicars, politicians and clowns(!) have an opinion. Theresa May ruthlessly wobbles onto the stage at points as portrayed by Crystal Condie. Gunnar Cauthery deserves extra time for his portrayal of Boris Johnson — the hair is a star in itself! as well as being Gary Lineker complete with crips.
How do you manage the pressure of being representative of everything English when all you do is kick a ball in the net…or not, or manage those that do? Is the nation being unreasonable to expect all of this from mere mortals and who do we think we are anyway? Lewis Shepherd as Dele Alli makes some interesting points about who he is — what does the name on his shirt really mean and represent? What do others see when they see his name on his shirt? Segueing nicely into English managers through the years — their style, personality and clothes — yes, there is a waistcoat moment! Cue some Sven-Goran moments from Gunnar Cauthery and Italian translation!
Celebrating Southgate’s personal battles (he has his own pressures and demons to battle), and his niceness and decency, his care and concern for others above all, this is a wonderful tribute to him and all that England have achieved. With Pippa Grange’s (Dervla Kirwan) help and support in getting them to face their fears, learn to lose and talk to each other. Though Southgate is not perfect, we see the tension between the new psychological work and the pressure to revert to the old ‘win at all costs’ ways, and how Pippa Grange is sidelined because of this, how she fights to be heard until she can’t fight any more. Definitely not a game of two halves — and yes there are ‘Three Lions’, ‘Vindaloo’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the soundtrack!
It is easy to get sensory overload here as the stage is very busy — ring light, moving stage (often several sections at once), wheeled lockers, moving characters, soundtrack, media backdrops. But go with it, and don’t be put off by the run time as it flies by and is a brilliantly thoughtful, well-written, very well-acted modern play.
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