Dear England – Alhambra Bradford
It's always struck me as odd that for a nation that invented football there hasn't been more plays written about the beautiful game that is such a central part of so many of our lives.
James Graham's Dear England puts that right with an intelligent and emotionally charged piece that genuinely captures the visceral nature of our national obsession with the game. It's a drama as much about human relationships and the unbearable pressures of holding a nation's hopes on the shoulders of 11 young men, as it is about kicking a football about. Thankfully Dear England eschews too much of the cheesy onstage attempts to replicate playing at the very highest level that all too often blights football plays.
Once upon a time Gareth Southgate was famous for missing a penalty that dumped England ou...