Southgate, You’re the One

Dear England is game-changing populist (in the very best sense of the word) theatre, destined to attract people to the theatre who didn’t know they’d like going to the theatre.

It’s also game-changing for people who like going to the theatre, but who didn’t think they’d like a play about sport.

With prices for theatre and football tickets pretty much on a level playing field now, fans of both stadium and stage will find their money well-spent on this 2hr 50 minutes’ emotional roller coaster of a production, currently playing at London’s National Theatre, before a national tour in the autumn.

Dear England won the 2024 Laurence Olivier prize for best play, and has been updated for 2025 by James Graham, prolific writer of other memorable works including the stage adaptation of The Boys from the Blackstuff, now also touring the UK.

The title comes from an open letter written by Gareth Southgate, then England manager, as a result of his team’s decision to ‘take the knee’ at football matches. At the time, it was hailed as a masterful piece of rhetoric, reflecting pride at England’s past, while highlighting the need to embrace a changing future.

In Graham’s hands, it becomes the pivotal point of the England team’s epic reinvention from have-a-go-heroes with the famous 1966 victory and the expectations of a nation on its shoulders, to a cohesive, diverse team where physical and mental fitness are equally prized.

Actors revel in their roles, in homage to, rather than impressions of, the England players and their supporting team, including Liz White as psychologist Pippa Grange, Tony Turner as Greg Dyke, Steve Holland and Graham Taylor, and the irrepressible John Hodgkinson (marvellous as Falstaff in last year’s RSC Merry Wives of Windsor) being equally marvellous as Greg Clarke/Gianni Infantino/Matt Le Tissier and . . . a vicar.

Dear England delivers at a blistering pace from the start, with high energy performances complemented by minimal but fabulous staging, offering moments of light relief, especially from Ryan Whittle as the linguistically languid Harry Kane and Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford matching verbal with hilarious physical dexterity.

Gwilym Lee takes on the role of Southgate, plagued by demons of his 1996 penalty miss against Germany, but determined to help his team to greater personal and performance highs. His understated performance is a masterpiece. If you have the chance, watch it and then watch Southgate’s own delivery of this year’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture, available on BBC 4, to see just how skilled a delivery Lee achieves.

Graham’s script uses popular cultural touchpoints to anchor the action, using the known to counterpoint the less known insights into the England team’s development.

If you’re more used to 90 minutes rather than 2 hrs 50 (including interval), you’ll still leave the theatre singing and wishing for extra time.

Dear England is at the National Theatre until May 25, with the following Assisted Performances: Captioned on April 19 (2pm) and May 15 (7.30pm), BSL on May 2 (7.30pm) and Audio Described on April 12 (2pm) and May 23 (7.30pm). Visit https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/your-visit/access/ for further information.

It will run at the Salford Theatre in Manchester from May 29 – June 29. After that it goes on tour. Visit https://dearenglandonstage.com/national-tour/ for dates and venues.