A brilliant exposition of the toughest job in English football, and the psyche of a nation that learnt to love its national team once again.
Where the England football team are concerned people fall into three distinct groups – the committed fans, casual supporters and those who genuinely have no interest in the game. These disparate elements quickly galvanise when the national team played in major tournaments. However, the collective spirit was shattered by a succession of failures. Players with big reputations constantly failed to deliver on the biggest stage. England became a figure of derision and reached a grim nadir when they were defeated by Iceland in the 2016 Euros. Salvation was at hand when Gareth Southgate took over as manager. Intelligent, articulate and tactically astute he had already coached the England Under 21 side. But still carried the baggage of an infamous missed penalty against Germany in Euro 1996. How would that experience drive him to greater heights as manager?
The gods smiled on this production as Joseph Fiennes takes on the role of Gareth Southgate whilst the excellent Gina McKee plays sports psychologist Pippa Grange. A talented ensemble cast play various characters including Southgate’s back room staff and of course the players themselves. Writer James Graham cleverly breaks the play into three acts, with each representing a major international tournament during Southgate’s reign. Act I begins with a swift volley of cameos from former England managers featuring Sam Allardyce, Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson. The build-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia is studied from a range of perspectives with emphasis on the psychology of competition. The second and third acts continue in the same vein as Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup are subjected to the same unique observations.
The nuances are very subtle and non-football fans might miss some asides that are both perceptive and extremely funny. Fiennes pulls off a remarkable portrayal of Gareth Southgate, from the polite home counties intonation to the languid posture he totally nails it. Similarly, the supporting cast do an amazing job with their respective briefs. Will Close (Harry Kane) and Josh Barrow (Jordan Pickford) are especially good and deliver scarily good impressions.
The staging is simple but effective, relying on the visual dynamics of a dressing room environment. Key events in the big games are re-enacted and convey a natural sense of drama. The trajectory of expectation, joy and ultimately disappointment is illustrated in all its ugly glory. Football hasn’t quite found its way home yet, but the trappings of victory are within reach when they were once a dot on the horizon. Gareth Southgate has taught us to love the England national team again and we should love this play for exactly the same reason.
Writer: James Graham
Director: Rupert Goold
Review by: Brian Penn
Playhouse Pickings 