Dear England – Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Writer: James Graham

Director: Rupert Goold

12 yards. That’s the distance from football’s penalty spot to the goal. It’s a meagre distance, but for many England footballers, and for a nation of football fans, that distance defines decades of disappointment. Yet under former England manager Gareth Southgate’s stewardship, bridging this distance and finding the net under such pressure becomes bigger than just scoring a goal in this terrific state-of-the-nation play.

Dear England chronicles Southgate’s eight-year stint as England manager, charting the highs and lows of his reign but more deeply looking at his desire to change the culture within the national team setup, and more broadly, the country as well. It is a play that is as much about kindness, camaraderie, and leadership as it is about football, using its fiercely nostalgic script to make a larger comment about what England represents today, and it remains just as pertinent as it was when it first premiered in 2023.

Graham’s writing is known for tackling large, state-of-the-nation ideas, and despite rooting the piece within the England football team, this play is no different. At face value, it is a sharply funny play that gently ribs the intelligence of some of the characters and the boisterous nature of a football dressing room, yet behind the roar of the crowd, Graham’s work asks real questions about race, identity and mental health. Indeed, one sequence, where Southgate asks the players to define what the St George’s flag means to them, feels starkly relevant given the flurry of flags that have gone up in town centres across the country in the last few months, using Southgate’s largely successful reign as a backdrop to explore what it means to be English, at a time of Brexit fallout, pandemic pain and political crisis, the latter hammered home by some brilliantly goofy portrayals of former prime ministers, including Courtney George’s terrific send-up of Theresa May.

While it is easy to get swept up in the humour of the various impersonations that occur during the play (the cheeky Sven Goran Eriksson, The Godfather-esque Fabio Capello and the crisp munching Gary Lineker to name a few), the play is about more than just impressions. As Southgate, David Sturzaker certainly captures all of the gentle mannerisms of the former England coach. His quiet, unassuming presence becomes a symbol of resilience and strength as the play unfolds, with Sturzaker’s portrayal one of real, subtle authority. His delivery of Southgate’s ‘Dear England’ letter, written to inspire and unite fans, is powerful, yet the raw emotion of a man still dealing with his own trauma, missing the losing penalty at Euro 96, is palpable. As manager, Southgate leads the charge in revising the culture at the Football Association, founding this new approach on kindness, compassion, and understanding the psychological toll of representing one’s country. Sturzaker’s portrayal of a man who has suffered cruel jibes for his own missed opportunities is powerful.

Alongside Sturzaker, Samantha Womack’s Pippa Grange is a psychologist charged by Southgate to change the culture of the England camp, and to get the players talking. While this is met with initial scepticism, Grange’s changes soon take effect, and Womack’s portrayal of Grange’s calm, assured character is a nice contrast to the hyper-masculine football environment.

Inevitably, impersonating well-known footballers such as Harry Kane (Oscar Gough), Marcus Rashford (Jayden Hanley), Bukayo Saka (Jass Beki), Raheem Sterling (Ashley Byam) and Jordan Pickford (Jack Maddison) all earn quick laughs, and the script certainly does lean into stereotypes about footballers, and these in particular, to quickly introduce them. But this is also used to remind the audience that these enormously well-paid players are human too. Yes, Pickford’s mad-cap goalkeeper persona is captured well here by Maddison, yet Graham’s script also gives time to Harry Kane’s own self-doubt, with a moving moment where his own vulnerabilities, about his much derided manner of talking, are explored.

That said, some of the writing has certainly changed in meaning with the passing of time. The image of Saka, Jadon Sancho (Luke Azille) and Rashford as a trio, horrendously racially abused after missing spotkicks in the Euro 2020 final, is a symbol of strength and unity in the face of adversity, yet this is tinged bittersweetly when reflecting on the differing state of each of the three’s careers in 2025. This is no more prevalent, though, than in the portrayal of Dele Alli, played by the fiery Liam Prince-Donnelly. It is here, perhaps, where the script could do with a little rewrite, as Alli is, in the script, portrayed a little too brashly, given what is now known about the traumas of his childhood.

Nevertheless, what is truly remarkable is how this production, which thrived in the massive spaces at the National Theatre and Prince Edward Theatre, now works so successfully in touring venues. While some of the projection is now a little squashed, Goold’s direction, with its terrifically vibrant physicality, works superbly. The production has made very few changes in this respect, other than rejigging some parts due to a lack of revolve, and its stylish stylistic choices, especially the looming penalty spot halo that hovers over the stage, remain impressive.

Plays about football do not always work. For every Dear England, or Patrick Marber’s brilliant three-hander The Red Lion, there is the dreadful Bend It Like Beckham The Musical. Yet in this work, while the beautiful game is certainly at its fore, Graham’s use of it as a vessel for discussions about bigger issues than just striking a ball finds the net perfectly.

Runs until 18 October 2025, then continues tour.