Dear England was written by playwright and screenwriter James Graham and directed by Rupert Goold. It won the Olivier award for best new play in 2024 and is a documentation of Gareth Southgate’s (David Sturzaker) tenure as the manager of England's men’s team from 2016 to 2024. It explores the pressures of managing and playing in the national team and how the psyche and team dynamics changed during this period. It also shines a light on the involvement of Pippa Grange’s (Samantha Womack) role of Head of People and Team Development and the effect this had on the notions of masculinity and mental health within the squad.
As a football fan and lover of major tournaments involving England, I am familiar with the subject matter of Gareth Southgate’s 3 tournament reign and his infamous penalty miss back in Euro ‘96. James Graham’s storyline is an accurate reflection of these events and brilliantly captures the emotional journey from no-hopers to the most successful England team since the triumphant 1966 squad.
The costume designs (Evie Gurney) were key to the story. The England kits were spot on, as were the outfits and stylings of the previous managers, from the tracksuit-wearing Graham Taylor to the Armani-suited Fabio Capello. In Southgate’s first tournament, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, his waistcoats became as much a part of the England kit as the Nike sportswear donned by the players. During the show, past England kits flashed before our eyes to remind us of tournaments, players and managers of yesteryear.
The stage setting was used to full effect with lockers wheeled seamlessly around the stage for the dressing room scenes. A projection onto the rear wall set the story for the on-pitch action, increasing the drama as the score lines changed. The drama increased further with the movement and choreography of the actors during the match scenes and penalty shootouts. (Ellen Kane, Hannes Langolf-Co movement Directors).
This is a big production with a cast of many, all of whom played their part in a great team effort. It seems unfair to single out individual actors, particularly as some played multiple roles or were part of an ensemble. However, I particularly enjoyed the hilarious characters of Harry Kane (Oscar Gough) and Physio Phil (Steven Dykes).
With the storyline and characters portrayed so accurately, it was easy to slip back into the heady days of the red-hot summer of 2018 as England unexpectedly made it to the semi-final of the World Cup. As I headed off for my half-time cup of Bovril, I was thinking that maybe it could be coming home after all.
But as usual, England's story unravelled into disappointment as Southgate’s England journey came to an emotional end. It is a testament to the production that, despite knowing how it ended, I was still disappointed.
But there was still time to introduce Southgate’s successor, Thomas Tuchel, into the fray before a rousing finale of ‘Sweet Caroline’ was belted out by the crowd.
Next summer it will be 30 years since we first sang the song about 30 years of hurt. With the foundations laid by Mr Southgate, could this be the year? Is it coming home? With Sweet Caroline still ringing in my ears as I left the Lyceum, I think it might be.
Production run (The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield): 21– 25 October 2025
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/dear-england/dates
Reviewer - Matthew Burgin
On - Tuesday 21 October 2025
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