(L to R) Thomas McGee as Jordan and David Lloyd as Yates
[Chelsey Cliff]
HENRY BELL is fascinated by the underlying curiosities and contradictions of one of the great poets of the Mediterranean
DAVID RENTON recommends a books that explores the ways in which disabled people are made to feel both of and not part of this world
JONATHAN TAYLOR is fascinated by the philosophical problems that permeate the art of life-writing
GORDON PARSONS steps warily in between the lines of Britain’s most famous diarist
SIMON DUFF recommends a recording of Arvo Part that takes the listener on a pilgrimage through seemingly distant times and events of the Bible
The Red Lion
Bristol Old Vic, The Weston Studio
PATRICK MARBER’S tightly written three-hander is both a paean and a critique of the beautiful game. Set in a the changing room of a semi-pro, non-league soccer team riding at the top of their league, traditional values and club loyalty face the challenge of the modern financial game.
The clash of ethics plays out around the new wunderkind discovery, Jordan trapped between fallen, local legend and now loyal, club kit man, Yates and bullish, ambitious manager, Kidd.
Thomas McGee does a solid job on his stage debut as the damaged youngster attempting to find his place in the murky world of football arrangements, agents and transactions where his principles and need for success are under strain from the outset.
With climate change, commercial overload and endless fixtures, footballers are being pushed to breaking point. It’s time their unions became a more powerful, unified force, writes JAMES NALTON
SIMON PARSONS is taken by a thought provoking and intelligent play performed with great sensitivity
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
