After The Applause

Dear England is James Graham’s smash hit play on the story of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager. Experiencing sold out runs in the Olivier and West End in 2023 and receiving rave reviews it made a lot of sense to see it come back, and it has received some slight rewrites to accommodate the final chapter of the Southgate story. I saw it in 2023 and it was one of me (and dad’s) favourite shows of the year so to see it going on another run, I was very excited.

As I enter my absolute favourite theatre (The Olivier) I am excited to see Es Devlin’s futuristic and simple white stage, illuminated by a large spherical screen (that almost looks like Wembley arch!). Devlin’s sets are some of the most memorable for me, especially in shows such as The Crucible and The Lehman Triology. I just love how it is set in the olivier, the football tunes being pumped out before the show starts just makes it feel like we are about to watch a game!

This show is a whistle stop tour, taking us right through the history of England manager’s and all of our infamous losses including Southgate’s 1996 penalty miss, re-enacted superbly on the stage! I do love the journey we go on, it is such a mix of emotion and passion for the game whilst throwing in a lot of comedy along the way. We see the inner workings of Southgate’s team, such as the hiring of Dr Pippa Grange to try and help out with the phycological side of football and we get a chance to go inside the (slightly fictionalised) England dressing room. Liz white is brilliant as Grange. Tony Turner, Martin Marquez and Matt Bardock play Southgates assistant coaches and staff and their relationship is comical to begin with but in times of stress they portray the tension very well.

All of the young actors portray the football personalities so well and it’s just so impressive how they come together as an ensemble. For me this cast was actually better than the original due to having a much closer connection and the segments in which we get to celebrate with them as we fly through England’s best moments are just utter joy!

Gwilym Lee is the next man (after Joseph Fiennes) to take on the role of Southgate and he does it wonderfully! Her brings his own twist to the text that made it land differently to how Fiennes did it when I saw it in 2023. The scene in which Southgate says goodbye to his team is heartwarming and Lee plays it brilliantly. I am a big fan of his after his leading role in SAS Rogue Heroes Season 2.

The thing that Dear England does so well is it’s appeal to all, it doesn’t just focus on making it an experience for the ultimate england fan but instead just the everyday person. Graham writes in scenes that show how affected by england’s tournament success and they are all so relatable and absolutely hilarious to watch.

I also loved the sequence that showed the highlights and lowlights of Southgate’s final Euro tournament. It left me with goosebumps and I actually felt quite emotional considering it was only 7 months ago!

MY VERDICT:

You can see why Dear England has come back! It is a journey of laughter and tears on the Olivier stage and it’s just such fun. The whole cast seem to be having the best time in the light moments however deliver on the more sensitive topics such as Racism and the trolling Saka faced after his EURO 2020 penalty miss. Graham writes it brilliantly (revising and adding in the final chapter of Gareth’s journey seamlessly). Whilst at times it felt there were scenes that could have been cut out, I overall feel that this is a play for everyone!

My standout performers were

Josh Barrow (for his amazing performance as Jordan Pickford), Gwilym Lee and Gamba Cole (such an accurate and impressive portrayal of Raheem Sterling, led the ensemble with his previous experience in TV (The Outlaws Season 1 and 2 on BBC Iplayer))

Dear England plays at the Olivier Theatre until 24th May 2025 before a transfer to The Lowry (Salford) on the 29th May. Then kicking off a nation wide tour. This is so recommended, fun for all the family. Get your tickets now!!

Photos are credited to Marc Brenner from the National Theatre website.