In theatrical circles stories from the world of football seem to be very much in vogue at present, already in 2025, I have reviewed “Red or Dead’ at Liverpool Royal Court and the smash UK touring production of ‘Dear England’ in Salford. Completing my personal hat trick is ‘Through It All Together’ a poignant and funny new play from local Leeds writer Chris O’Connor, which explores the subject of dementia through the lens of a family’s passion for Leeds United and their manager Marcelo Bielsa.
We join the action in the Summer of 2018 with Howard (Reece Dinsdale), Sue (Shobna Gulati) and their daughter Hazel (Natalie Davies) struggling to cope following Howard’s recent diagnosis with Dementia. Howard forgets little things, like where the milk is in the kitchen; he also constantly repeats himself which is a source of upset to Sue and frustration to Hazel. These building frustrations spill over into the local football team Howard and Sue support passionately – Leeds United – mired in mid table mediocrity in the second tier of English football with their days of league titles, cup wins and European football in the 1970’s under Don Revie are a distant memory, as they struggle to regain a modicum of their former glory. In something of a footballing coup, they appoint maverick Argentinian Marcelo Bielsa as coach and begin an ascent that sees them return triumphantly to the Premier League, playing an exciting and attacking brand of football under their messianic manager.
O’Connor has an excellent ear for dialogue and the script is peppered with authentic speech patterns from the terraces, all spiced with the warm and spikily sarcastic humour that is the true voice of the northern English working class. Dean Smith and Everal A. Walsh playing a multitude of supporting roles best exemplify this style, whether it is Walsh as Barry, the definition of the term fanatic, or Smith’s dour Graham as the archetypal dour Yorkshireman gradually converted to a Bielsa disciple, each portrait is delicately and accurately drawn.
Director Gitika Buttoo marshals the creative team well, the pace only dipping during some of the heavier exposition detailing the fortunes of the team over the course of the season. The Lighting (Jason Taylor) and Sound (Annie May Fletcher) give some insight into the ‘inner voice’ of Howard as he descends further into dementia with an echoing soundscape lit starkly in contrast to his warm familial surroundings. The Set Design by Amanda Stoodley is dominated by a magnificent church arch and stained glass window depicting ‘Saint Marco’ perched above the family home, perfectly encapsulating the secular worship of the fans at the altar of LUFC and Bielsa.
The upward trajectory of the team on the pitch is contrasted sharply with Howard’s decline over the same period, and the strains placed on the family were shown with a realistic sense of dignity and restraint. Davies’ daughter Hazel showed how some people retreat into organising routines as a way of coping with the trauma that diagnosis can engender, her practicality masking the real upset that she is feeling. Gulati is excellent as Sue, the strong, warm glue that binds everyone, her COVID diagnosis in the second act throws the family into disarray and confusion. Above all, Dinsdale is excellent in demonstrating the confusion engendered by this debilitating condition. His plaintive ‘I’m slipping away’ conversation with his family was genuinely painful to watch and elicited real emotion in the audience, many of whom had lived experience of what they were watching.
The bait of a show based around Leeds United will certainly hook many virgin theatregoers through the doors of the Leeds Playhouse this Summer and the timing of their recent promotion back to the Premier League is certainly serendipitous for the marketing of this production. However, at a time when theatre is under economic and financial pressure to stage ‘sure fire hits’ it is greatly encouraging to see a major regional theatre staging a new production that reflects the community within which it lives and tackles a subject which affects so many people in a way that is both hilarious and poignant. Highly recommended.
Playing until 19th July, https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/through-it-all-together/
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 27th June 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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