Dear England

''Dear England'' is a play about England football manager Gareth Southgate, the pressures of elite sport, and the role of the national men's football team in the national psyche. The play explores how Southgate helped to change notions of masculinity on the England team. Written by James Graham, it opened in June 2023 at the National Theatre in London starring Joseph Fiennes and directed by Rupert Goold. The title of the play comes from the open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The play won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Will Close won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for his portrayal of Harry Kane.

Playwright James Graham said after the England men lost the UEFA Euro 2024 final to Spain that he would rewrite the ending of ''Dear England'' to bring it up to date.

Plot

The play follows the England men's football team under Gareth Southgate in the run-up to, and aftermath of, three tournaments: its unexpected run to the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, its disappointing defeat in the 2020 European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, and its quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The first act opens with a flashback to young Southgate as he misses a penalty at the 1996 Euro semifinals, causing England to be knocked out of the competition. In the next scene, Southgate is announced as the new caretaker manager for the England national men's football team, as members of the public – including builders, barristers, and YouTubers – react. As manager, he proceeds to select his squad, including Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, and Marcus Rashford. Southgate brings in psychologist Pippa Grange to assist with training sessions, encouraging players to face their fears by keeping journals and talking about them.

The second act focuses on emotional drama as the players develop under Southgate's leadership and take nerve-wracking penalties. The play also touches on racist abuse experienced by black players on the England team following their loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final in 2021. It ends with Harry Kane missing a penalty and England getting knocked out of the 2022 World Cup, but with Kane receiving the support from his teammates that Southgate himself had not received as a player.

The play's many comical caricatures include former England managers Sven-Göran Eriksson, Graham Taylor, and Fabio Capello; former players and commentators Gary Lineker and Matt Le Tissier; and British prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss.

Music

The play uses popular music associated with the England teams in the 90s era and Southgate era including:
* "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the Verve
* "Three Lions" by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds
* "World in Motion" by New Order
* "Vindaloo" by Fat Les
* "Crown" by Stormzy

Production history

World premiere: National Theatre (2023)

''Dear England'' made its world premiere in the Olivier Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, London where it ran from 20 June to 11 August 2023, starring Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate and directed by Rupert Goold.

West End (2023–24)

In August 2023, the National Theatre announced that ''Dear England'' would transfer to the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End for a limited 14-week run, with Fiennes reprising his role as Gareth Southgate. The play ran from 9 October 2023 until 13 January 2024. The production was also filmed for National Theatre Live and was broadcast worldwide to cinemas from 25 January.

National Theatre revival & Salford (2025)

On 4 June 2024, the National Theatre announced that ''Dear England'' would be returning to the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre from 10 March until 24 May 2025 and will then play at The Lowry, Salford for four weeks from 29 May until 29 June 2025. James Graham told the Guardian that he will update the ending of the show for its return. He told the Guardian, “I’ll be changing the play depending on what happens, and I don’t quite know what that will look like.” Gwilym Lee will play Gareth Southgate.

UK tour (2025–26)

The play will tour the UK from September 2025, opening at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth until March 2026. Casting is to be announced.

Principal roles and cast

Critical reception

The premiere of ''Dear England'' received positive reviews overall, with the ''BBC News'' saying that the show had "hit the back of the net" according to theatre critics, and ''The Observer'' noting that "there were a couple of five-star raves and lots of football-ese puns". While '' Time Out'' acknowledged that the premise of "a play about the squad’s resurrection under Gareth Southgate feels like a potentially hubristic idea – dangerously overhyping a gifted man who still hasn’t taken home any actual silverware", a headline in ''The Times'' declared, "pitch-perfect Gareth Southgate brings the game home".

The review in the ''Financial Times'' ran with the headline: "James Graham scores a winner with exhilarating football play". Susannah Clapp wrote in ''The Observer'' that "Once again the playwright shows his particular gift, for writing a popular play with a resonant social theme". Arifa Akbar of ''The Guardian'' called the play "a game of two halves", noting that it focused more on "story rather than drama in the first half, while Houman Barekat wrote in ''The New York Times'' that he found the second half "considerably less funny" and that it felt "rushed...in contrast to the more leisurely pacing before the intermission."

The set design by Es Devlin, featuring oval rings of light on an expansive stage, was described by Akbar as "incredible...simply yet excellently signifying a stadium", while Nick Curtis of the ''Evening Standard'' said that it "powerfully expresses the isolation and exposure of the football pitch."

Actor Joseph Fiennes was widely praised for his portrayal of the England manager, with critic Quentin Letts of ''The Sunday Times'' referring to Fiennes's "almost AI-grade exactness", and Dominic Cavendish of ''The Telegraph'' lauding his "furrowed, remarkably lookalike Southgate". Calling Fiennes's performance "magnificent", Jason Cowley observed in ''The New Statesman'' that, "Not only does he closely resemble the bearded, waistcoat-clad England manager, he expertly captures the flatness of his accent, the awkwardness of his Everyman persona, the twitches and rapid blinking, as well as the thoughtfulness and decency." Alluding to the actor's performance in the lead role in ''Shakespeare in Love'', Cavendish wrote that Fiennes "achieves a mesmeric intellectual intensity, hands deep in pockets or delicately gesticulating, that makes Southgate seem almost like Shakespeare's inheritor, weaving dreams for us all."

Critics called the ensemble "well-cast", with ''Tatler'' noting that their "visual resemblances are sometimes uncanny". Many reviewers were impressed with their "mimicry" of England football stars. While ''The Week'' lamented that some of the characterisations were "cartoonish", the ''Financial Times'' observed "care and nuance" in several of their portrayals. ''BritishTheatre.com'' described actor Will Close as "show-stealing" and "hilarious in every aspect" in his portrayal of England captain Harry Kane. ''Time Out'' critic Andrzej Lukowski called out Close's Kane as "extremely funny...as affable as he is inarticulate" and also praised Gunnar Cauthery's turn as Gary Lineker. Meanwhile, Steve Dinneen wrote in '' City A.M.'' that "Will Close is also excellent as Harry Kane, his impression of a man apparently devoid of personality initially bordering on the cruel but turning full circle as the player's heart and mettle are shown." Alistair Smith of ''The Stage'' argued that the deliberate caricatures, also of politicians and other public figures, do "result in some jarring tonal shifts, as the piece veers from serious introspection to something closer to pantomime and back again".

Awards and nominations

Original London production

Television adaptation

On 21 February 2024, it was announced that a four-part television series also written by Graham and directed by Goold was commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer with Fiennes reprising his role of Gareth Southgate. Left Bank Pictures will be executive producers and internationally distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

References

External links

''Dear England'' at the National Theatre (2023)

{{OlivierAward Play 2001–2025

English plays
Plays set in the 2010s
Plays by James Graham
Biographical plays about sportspeople
2023 plays