Dear England (West End) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (92)
See it if One of the best shows ever and I go to theatre almost weekly ! Incredible story acting ! Was completely moved and saw the triology !
Don't see it if Just see it
See it if You like football. Very different show. I don’t watch football as a rule so didn’t know all the players but it was so well done
Don't see it if You hate Gareth Southgate!
See it if You love a true story come to life. So absorbing.
Don't see it if You don't like football!
See it if you love football. FIENNES is incredible as Southgate, watching his mannerisms from the first row as spectacular
Don't see it if you don't like England
See it if You Love football (or even if you don’t)
Don't see it if You don’t want to learn anything about football.
See it if you want to see an incredibly original production. Sound design, lighting, staging -- all of it was fantastic. Acting superb as well.
Don't see it if not sure who wouldn't enjoy this show. Even if you don't follow football, you'll have a great time (will only miss a handful of chuckles).
See it if Into England's soccer team reinventing itself, with a wink towards the country itself. A Huge, excellent cast. Available on @NTLive.
Don't see it if Well... Some references were obscure to me, and it felt somewhat repetitive, but the universality here makes for a satisfying experience.
See it if you would enjoy a three-hour drama about the English national team, or any story of underdogs striving for greatness.
Don't see it if you can’t sit in a theatre for this long.
Critic Reviews (9)
"Rupert Goold, never one to leave his showmanship in the locker room, has rarely married storytelling with spectacle with more of a flourish. Between him and Graham and an ensemble so good it would be invidious to pick out individuals (sorry, lads) they ensure that a huge cast of characters are delineated with wit and clarity."
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“When the curtain falls it’s a case of ‘they think it’s all over’ but of course this time, it’s not. Outside a West End theatre, Southgate remains in the job and shows no signs of going anytime soon. So, although Graham doesn’t have a true ending to this story, Dear England stands proud as a joyful portrayal of the game, and a heartfelt celebration of teamwork.”
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“While the acting and direction are as good as it gets, it really is the writing that puts Dear England at the top of the league...The way this play manages to connect with its audience, finding its way into their very soul, is something few shows manage to achieve successfully. “
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“Against a fracturing sense of national identity, ‘’Dear England’ makes manifest the everyday glue that binds us...God knows what the tourists will make of it. No matter. This is a rare and special thing – a play that dares to let us feel not so bad about being us.”
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“This is still a terrific evening of navel-gazing that the nation has to keep doing, in search of an answer to what it means in these post-Brexit days to be not just an England footballer, but English.”
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“James Graham’s multi-faceted play ‘Dear England,’ in Rupert Goold’s tremendous production, has the sweep and crowd-pleasing energy of a musical; it’s both populist and deeply thoughtful, and told with such warmth and wit that football fanatics and sceptics alike will probably be willing to die for Southgate and his team by the end.”
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“James Graham’s superb play ‘Dear England’ is a love letter not only to the sport, but to the power it has to affect change across a nation and within individuals. An extraordinarily inspiring and enlightening production, it explores human possibility and positive transformation through football, demonstrating how beautiful relationships can be generated when care is taken.”
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“ ‘Dear England’ is a play for our conflicted and troubled country, exploring the complexities of fandom and national pride in such a joyful way, whilst allowing space to recognise the racism...it’s a beautifully clear, rousing, and celebratory exploration of football that has the power to reach the hearts of even the most uninitiated audience members, and give them the chance to feel it all, from the inside out.”
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