Minerva theatre, Chichester
Two decades since the debut of Roy Williams’s play set in a pub during an England v Germany World Cup qualifier, the script is as hot as ever
Twenty years since its first staging at the National Theatre, Roy Williams’s foul-mouthed and vicious portrait of racism in Britain has, miserably, taken on an even more distressing relevance.
It is set in 2000, in a south-west London boozer where a group of regulars and footie fans have gathered to watch the England v Germany World Cup qualifying match. It’s loud, sprawling and full of alcohol-fuelled sing-song. But as the home team starts to lose control of the game, the patriotism twists to uncover a deep-rooted xenophobia buried just underneath.
At the Minerva theatre, Chichester, until 13 August.
