• Dear England (NT Live)

3/24/24 (Sun)

I had an advantage over UK audiences seeing this soccer-related show since I had no idea who any of these people are or how the actual games turned out. It’s exactly the kind of show that the NT was made for and has received a fantastic staging.

The UK evidently won the soccer World Cup in 1966, still a source of huge national pride. However, the team has since been plagued since by its consistent failure to get anywhere near that and is known humiliatingly for its failure to win penalty shootouts. A player named Gareth Southgate in particular is haunted by a goal he missed back in 1996 that cost the team – and the nation – the title. Having been appointed team manager, he seeks to overturn the team’s deeply held mindset from fear/hesitance to challenge/positivity. He hires a counselor to allow the players to express themselves and create greater camaraderie. He also sets a timeline for a multi-year period aimed at the 2022 World Cup so that the team can mark its progress over time rather than obsessing over individual games. The story follows a predictable curve thereafter, but it benefits from being absolutely true.

The play may have done better to examine why an entire nation should place its pride in the outcome of a sports game, putting intense pressure on a dozen or so sportsmen, some just teenagers. The 1996 loss led to massive riots in the streets among disappointed spectators, which is taking things way too seriously; as the show notes, England needs to learn not how to win but how to lose.

Still, the story is extremely well told with real wit and drama. The game emerges as a state-of-the-nation metaphor for an England that has let fear of failure hold back its natural instincts to venture where no one has gone before. The show suggests that a nation that once ruled a vast portion of the globe has shrunk into a small island literally and metaphorically, and needs to overcome that passive mindset to regain its former glory.

James Graham’s script can be a bit woke, especially in the second half with its racism and “love will win” theme; true or not, it feels like a TV drama. But he creates genuine human beings with strong motivations, making the stakes (as they perceive them) crystal clear. The players all have their moments, though inevitably a few dominate, with Southgate and a tongue-tied player named Harry Kane the most appealing. The penalty shootout scenes are tense and thrillingly staged, giving a good sense of what it must have felt like at the time. Seems unfair to burden these kids with the weight of the nation, not least because they’re only in this position after the team failed to win in regular time. Southgate recalls his feelings in a beautifully rendered speech, noting his deep guilt that his actions led to such widespread anger and disillusionment among a population that was counting on him.

I don’t know how well the actors mimicked the real-life players, but the acting overall was of a very high level. Joseph Fiennes, who actually looks Southgate, gave the performance of the night. His character is almost Shakespearian in his remorse and shame, doing his best to guide others as he fights his own demons. A magnificent showing. Will Close was another standout, playing the quiet Harry Kane with great dignity; his anguish at missing a key goal was truly moving. Pippa Grange did well by the psychologist, and the team officials were by and large excellent.

Rupert Goold keeps things moving swiftly and smoothly, and the soccer scenes were adeptly choreographed. Es Devlin’s typically wonderful set featured a large oval on the ceiling that gave the idea of a soccer pitch as well as showing game scores and text, and there were doors that moved about in varied configurations. The projections and lighting were top-notch.

The show was a big hit for the NT and transferred later to a West End theater. It’s safe to assume that it will never play the US given the inside jokes and British references, including the comic appearance of Boris Johnson and other prime ministers with their own misfired penalty kicks. (Graham is obviously not a Tory.) I noticed a projection with a score of an England-US game, which I doubt most American audiences were even aware of. I hear that a multi-episode television drama is being prepared, and it will be interesting to see how they open it up with actors actually having to play the game. It’s hard to know if the stage show can hold its appeal over the long term, not least with Southgate still adding to the story in real life. But it’s a highly entertaining production.