Review: Dear England (New Theatre Oxford)

Dear England is a fictionalised account of Gareth Southgate’s time managing the England football team. Based on research and interviews, the narrative is embellished by characters created by the author (James Graham). Directed by Rupert Goold, this National Theatre production is currently on tour and I was invited to review it at the New Theatre in Oxford.

For complete clarity, I am not a football fan, but have watched enough England matches to have a sense of who some of the characters in this play were, more than I had expected to in fact.  It was clear that some fans were watching from the fact that some elements (references to actual events, or the game itself) were found amusing by a small section of the audience.  My lack of knowledge of the subject did not detract from my enjoyment of the show at all, it was clearly aimed at everyone.

The set design (Es Devlin) is clever; initially deceptively simple, comprising of a circular lit section on the floor with another circular light above it, with a spot on the floor which indicated this space will evoke a penalty area at times.  This simplistic appearance became so much more when the projection/video parts of the set began to appear, transporting us into the audience at huge stadiums for key matches as well as other locations.

Wooden structures were used to portray lockers, doorways, and other features, these were moved around by the cast and included lighting within them which made their functionality much more varied as props.  The movement of both these, and at times chairs, by the cast was choreographed beautifully and accompanied by music and lighting. These set changes were satisfying to watch and became a seamless feature of the show as a result.

The music was powerful, raising a real sense of pride in the events taking place on stage, and the performances were superb across the board.  It was easy to forget the sportsmen on stage were actors at times. Alongside the team we also had cameo appearances by various prime ministers, pundits and other players and managers, which were highly entertaining and at times drove the story forward.

Of course, the focus was on Gareth Southgate, played by David Sturzaker, because of the nature of the play. It must be incredibly difficult to take on a role like this where pretty much everyone in the country has heard of the person you’re playing, but this was carried out brilliantly, and the visual likeness to Southgate added to the character portrayal itself.

Samantha Womack was a delight to watch as Pippa Grange, a psychologist brought in to support the team. One scene with Marcus Rashford (Jayden Hanley) gave this character a particular impact. I did feel like I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this character as the performance continued.

Despite having a clear focal point in Southgate, like the beautiful game itself, this play would be nothing without its ensemble cast. The impact of being under scrutiny of the whole country, through the inevitable highs and lows of being a member of, or involved with, the England team, is portrayed with insight.

I went to see this show not expecting to be particularly interested in the subject matter, but I can now say this will appeal to anyone, whether you are a huge fan of the game or not. The production is top notch and the visual elements added from the set and videography create a spectacular watch.  A final impact came during the energetic curtain call when names of hundreds of footballers who have played for England were show on the back wall of the set. With the audience enthusiastically joining in with an uplifting rendition of Sweet Caroline, it would impossible to leave the theatre on anything other than a high note.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Dear England is showing at New Theatre Oxford until Saturday 31 January 2026, and then continues on tour.  More information and ticket links can be found here.

If you would like to see more of my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.