Nationalistic, thoughtful and a story carved from one man’s perceived failure in front of the world, James Graham’s award-winning play, Dear England, is gripping from start to finish whether you’re an ardent fan of the beautiful game or not.

And that’s because is it less about football than it is about those psychological drivers that enable, or disable, so many of us in our day to day lives.

Former England manager, Gareth Southgate, was a player before he was given the impossible task of delivering the silver with a national squad still living in the shadow of the 1966 England World Cup victory.

And, during his spell as a player with the national side, he famously missed the 1996 penalty against Germany that cost him, and his team, a place in the Euro finals. How do you come back from that?

Well, maybe that’s the very question that Graham tries to answer in this highly entertaining, enthralling play that places not only Southgate’s national squad under the microscope, but the manager’s own misgivings about his own self-defining failure, as well as those ghosts stalking his team: self-doubt and racism allied to overblown egos.

It is overly simplistic to say this was an entertaining production – it was in fact brilliant – because at another level it was cerebral, thought provoking and beautifully directed by Rupert Goold.

But, more than ever, this also felt like the ultimate production team effort with stunning set design by Es Devlin, mood provoking lighting from Jon Clark, amazing video design by Ash J. Woodward and fantastic choreographed movement by Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf.

Taken together it is not difficult to understand why the words ‘award winning’ have attached themselves to this theatrical triumph.

David Sturzaker (Gareth Southgate). Photo Marc Brenner

Samantha Womack (Pippa Grange). Photo. Marc Brenner(3358)

David Sturzaker as Southgate, absolutely nails the part, ably assisted by Aussie team psychologist, Pippa Grange, courtesy of Samantha Womack and, the broad characterisations of the various ‘real life’ players including the likes of Marcus Rashford (Jayden Hanley), Harry Kane (Oscar Gough) and Jadon Sancho (Kadell Herida) are testimony to Goold’s subtle direction.

In the space of two hours, we are taken on Southgate’s 2016-2024 tenure as England manager and how he dissects the team, reviews mindsets, dismembers egos and builds a ‘unit’ that goes on to four major tournament quarter finals and a World Cup semi, making Southgate the most successful England manager in half a century.

Highly entertaining, gripping and well worth your money.

A hattrick triumph!

Dear England
Alhambra, Bradford
Until Saturday 21st February