Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

A play that explains why England’s football team are so lousy: Dear England, at the Olivier Theatre, reviewed

Plus: it’s an odd experience to see the annihilation of one’s own kind presented on stage while members of the audience giggle

Kel Matsena (Raheem Sterling) and Will Close (Harry Kane) in Dear England at the National Theatre. Credit: Marc Brenner

James Graham’s entertaining new play looks at the England manager’s job. Everyone knows that coaching the national side is just a hobby. The boss picks the squad for a handful of fixtures each year and gives a pep talk at half-time followed by a post-match press conference. He’s spared the bother of speculating in the transfer market and he’s never troubled by verbal monsterings from foreign owners or irascible chairmen.

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Lloyd Evans
Written by
Lloyd Evans
Lloyd Evans is The Spectator's sketch-writer and theatre critic

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