One approaches Dear England with a degree of trepidation. Football means little to me but a great deal to a lot of people and wouldn’t want to give offence or show my ignorance by shouting "Owzat" or appear glib by saying Posh Spice is the talented one in the marriage. I only became aware that manager Gareth Southgate’s Dear England open letter had achieved the status of a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day speech after hearing a report on Radio 4. Yes, that’s the sort of elitist snob who writes reviews for the BTG, but topical news shows have made even someone as out of touch as me aware the England football team is regarded as something of a joke, better known for the antics of their wives and girlfriends than their professional achievements.
The appointment of Gareth Southgate (Gwilym Lee) as the new caretaker manager for the England national men's football team is contentious. After all, as the opening scene of the play shows, Southgate, in the tradition of England football players, missed a penalty at the 1996 Euro semifinals, causing the team to be knocked out of the competition.
As manager, Southgate selects his squad and, feeling he did not receive adequate support during his time as a player, controversially recruits psychologist Pippa Grange (Liz White) to assist with training sessions, encouraging players to face their fears and challenge notions of masculinity by keeping, and discussing, journals. But the opposing teams are not the only obstacle to be overcome. The players are subject to self-doubt and endless online analysis, even abuse. The UK is coping with the impact of Brexit, which caused lasting divisions in the country, the effects of a worldwide pandemic and politicians one would not follow into a free bar.
Southgate’s response to this chaotic and divisive environment is to pen an open letter to the country, addressed "Dear England". Drawing upon his personal memories and reflecting on national pride, the letter uses the context of the England football team coping with both adversity and evolving societal expectations to try and unite the nation and inspire hope and a belief in the potential for progress. But, Grange reminds Southgate, he must also come to terms with his own trauma lingering from his penalty failure.
In the cold light of day, the open letter owes less to Shakespeare and more to music critic Dave Marsh. Marsh’s famous "I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" article has the same looking backwards to imagine a brighter future tone and an awareness of being involved in an event that transcends individuals and has an impact upon a wider community. The open letter certainly catches the peculiar atmosphere of the UK during the pandemic when the wealthy footballer Marcus Rashford was more in touch with the moral concerns of the nation than politicians.
James Graham’s script reminds the audience the lyrical open letter was only part of Southgate’s achievement. He also managed to shift the culture of the team from crudely laddish to more open and confident with greater strategic planning on taking penalties. The atmosphere in act one grows increasingly optimistic, while act two opens with an almost swaggering tone captured in the celebratory football anthems.
Dear England ought not to work as a drama; after all, the outcome is known before the play begins. There is a great deal of information conveyed in a rushed manner with a plethora of short scenes and, therefore, a strong risk of confusing an audience. Director Rupert Goold embraces the chaotic structure, using it to demonstrate the conflicting situation facing the football squad. Goold portrays the squad as caught in the eye of a hurricane with everyone in the country feeling entitled to express a critical opinion on their abilities. In such a rapidly changing environment, manager Gareth Southgate impresses as someone with vision, capable of using the past to build new stories. The overall impression of the play is one of respect, even for people who might not commit fully to the need for change, and so encouraging belief a different outcome might be possible in the future. At the conclusion, Southgate and the footballers embrace, while the more old-school trainers look on uncomfortably and share a brisk handshake; there is no judgment that either attitude is incorrect.
Such a rapidly-moving storyline requires a set which is sophisticated yet simple. Es Devlin’s basic concept of a series of changing room lockers / doorways, through which the cast enter and exit, is supplemented by Ash J Woodward’s awe-inspiring video designs. Football stadia, chanting crowds and fluorescent score displays emerge from the bare stage.
James Graham’s script is sympathetic to the footballers who carry the expectations of a nation. One is reminded of Tom Wolfe’s concept of ‘The Right Stuff’, the unique quality held by American astronauts and the withering contempt for those who seek to exploit their abilities. Prime Minister Teresa May wanders onstage baffled and struggles to find an exit. Wider political aspects, such as ‘Sportswashing’, whereby repressive regimes host sporting events so as to give other countries and celebrities an excuse to overlook, and so cash in upon, their revolting activities, are, however, only fleetingly acknowledged.
Dear England is very much a high-quality ensemble piece with secondary characters drawn broadly largely for comic effect—Gary Lineker appears eating a bag of crisps. There is an hilarious medley of past England managers explaining their choice of clothing culminating in Southgate’s transformation into ‘Gareth Waistcoat’. There are, however, stand-out performances; Ryan Whittle’s Harry Kane is a wonderful comic combination of soft-spoken inarticulacy and arrogance. Rather than make Gareth Southgate a fire and brimstone evangelist, Gwilym Lee takes a more appealing humble and humane approach—his manager is more persuasive and negotiating than bombastic and domineering. There remains, however, the core of an idealist—someone who really believes change is possible.
Dear England is an inspiring demonstration that the journey is more important than reaching the destination and will, therefore, engage and entertain even people with no interest in football.