Review: The Beautiful Game at the Union Theatre

The Beautiful Game
The Union Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 8th April 2014

The original production of this Andrew Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton musical opened in London in 2000 and ran for around 11 months, picking up a Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical along the way. But by ALW standards at the time I suppose a run of less than a year could be considered something of a flop plus the show never made it to Broadway — although a reworked version under the alternative title of The Boys in the Photograph directed by Elton opened in Canada in 2009.

Niamh Perry

Now director Lotte Wakeham brings it to the Union Theatre (which in recent years has made its name as the home of quality revivals) and breathes wonderful new life into this largely forgotten work with the help of a terrific ensemble led by Niamh Perry and Ben Kerr.

Despite the title referring to football (was that the reason some people were put off, I wonder?), the show is about so much more; it’s an often achingly poignant tale of love, loss conflict and camaraderie, with moments of gentle humour.

The story is set amid the troubles in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early 70s and concerns the members of a mainly Catholic football team and the girls caught in their orbit. The most important thing on the young men’s minds is the beautiful game and their dreams of turning pro. But however much they try to distance themselves from the hatred of the religious divide, their lives are touched by tragedy, leading to one of the group, Thomas (a brilliantly edgy performance from Freddie Rogers), becoming politicized — a turning point that will impact on them all.

Daniella Bowen and Stephen Barry

Also against this volatile background is the burgeoning love between civil rights campaigner Mary (Niamh Perry) and John (Ben Kerr), a player destined for the footballing big time. Perry gives a performance of enormous maturity, by turns heart wrenching and subtly comedic, while Kerr is totally believable as the slightly gauche and wide-eyed innocent who just wants to play ball.

Indeed, Wakeham is well served by an accomplished cast that also includes stand out performances from Daniella Bowen as the feisty Christine and Carl McCrystal as the no-nonsense priest Father O’Donnell. 

There are one or two moments that don’t quite fit — a scene concerning Mary and John’s first awkward sexual liaison comes across a little like padding and some of Elton’s lyrics feel a little shoe-horned. But ALW’s score contains some real highs — The Boys in the Photograph must number among his most haunting melodies.

I have to confess to not having seen the original so can’t make comparisons, but I found this revival hugely satisfying.

Reviewed by Tony Peters

The Beautiful Game runs at the The Union Theatre until Saturday 3rd May 2014
Please visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/uniontheatre for further information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Darren Bell

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