Dear England
National Theatre — Olivier, London

OH, what a joy! 

Rarely have I been so buoyed up by a play that I have all but forgotten to be a critic, but this is what James Graham’s Dear England made me feel as I emerged from the Olivier theatre in a cloud of euphoria and wanting to sing aloud.  

The play tells the story of England football coach Gareth Southgate from the moment he misses that penalty in 1996 to, well… that other missed penalty in 2022.

The action follows Southgate’s training of the England team as they rethink everything they have taken for granted and learn to work in harmony.

He begins as caretaker manager, then quietly and unexpectedly slides into the top job where transformation is the name of the game and trust becomes absolute. 

It’s a great story and a dazzling piece of theatre, with the Olivier stage dominated by Es Devlin’s Wembley-style illuminated hoops that encase a rotating stage and shine on a small but significant central penalty spot. 

The actors as a troupe bring simple perfection. From the incidental characters of Theresa May (Crystal Condie), Sven-Goran Eriksson and Boris Johnson (both Gunnar Cauthery) to the players themselves, they delight us with the traits we know so well and raise laughter by the minute. 

The choreography of the team by Helen Kane and Hannes Langoff not only precisely captures the glorious physicality of top-class footballers but also exudes the breathless anticipation of those pivotal moments when time seems to stand still as boot hits ball. 

Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons too create the illusion of the game by their immaculate sound effects of passes and headers, strikes and saves.  

Meanwhile Darragh Hand as Rashford, Kel Matsena as Sterling, Ebeneza Gyau as Saka, Will Fletcher as Henderson and Adam Hugill as Harry Maguire set the stage alight while Will Close as Harry Kane and Josh Barrow as Pickford bring the house down.

But this is more than pure escapism. Southgate, assisted by psychologist Pippa Grange, not only builds a new and productive narrative for the England team, but through it brings life and hope of togetherness to a country lost in division and vituperation.

Gina McKee is simply splendid as Pippa Grange and Joseph Fiennes is unchallengeable as Southgate, capturing the essence of the man as if they have body swapped.

Southgate’s “Dear England” letter written in the wake of waves of racism from football crowds is delivered straight to the audience by Fiennes. It sums up the play; it drowns out all conflicting roars from crowds; and it calls upon an England long forgotten to live in harmony. 

Sentimental perhaps, but its timing in the play, when audience and players are emotionally at one, brings triumph.

If you don’t like football, this play may not work for you. But in an England which has for many years now — let’s face it — been a hard and miserable place, a three-hour evening that makes it a happy one is worth its weight in gold.