WITH World Cup football action dominating our screen at home every night at the moment, a play about the beautiful game might not be the most appealing ides to drag you from screen to stage.
That coupled with the heat made for a very sparse audience in the Ron Barber studio at the Crescent Theatre on Sunday afternoon. That was a shame – for those of us who were there were treated to a real little gem of show.
‘Jumpers for Goalposts’ by Tom Wells is not about the big bucks glamour of the beautiful game but more the banter and ultimate bonding between the team members of ‘Barely Athletic’ a gay, bottom of the league five-a-side team and a coach who simply wants to beat Lesbian Rovers is just as beautiful.
The original 2013 play was set in Hull but I fully concur with director Rod Natkiel’s choice of moving the setting of a council run changing room to Birmingham – it avoids dialect difficulty and actually adds local warmth. Plus, Poppy Starling’s set actually made the studio disappear and our eavesdropping seem real.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. s
As to the company there’s some top talent in this production, starting with Chloe Potter as Viv the lesbian pub landlady who runs the team. Potter plays her full of heart and with a clever up and down lid on her sarcasm delivery – cheeky, caring and kind.
Dan Hawkins plays Joe the token straight goalkeeper like wearing a soft pair of gloves which makes even his grieving for the loss of his wife somehow comfortable and Jodh Singh is outstanding as Beardy Geoff, a lovable if sexually reckless busker.
Charles Hubbard plays librarian Luke and Jason Adam plays sports student Danny, both perfectly paced performances as they circle each other with all the awkwardness of a first crush.
This is a play that is well suited to Rod Nakiel, he is a master of directing actors to play it for real. Like a concert pianist, he knows when to hold them back and when to give us thinking breaks.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. s
No football is played on stage. The game happens in stories, warm-ups, and half-time oranges. That’s the trick. By keeping us off the pitch, Natkiel forces us to focus on what actually matters – the conversations between games.
Walls’s writing is also what makes this play so joyous. It’s funny without trying to be clever, and it’s moving without ever becoming sentimental. It’s written with real love at its core. This is also a play about chosen family. These people are terrible at football, but they keep showing up. For Viv, it’s about pride. For Joe, it’s about routine after loss. For Luke, it’s about Danny.
Picture by Graeme Braidwood Photography. s
For me ‘Jumpers for Goalposts’ is a modern classic. You don’t need to care or know anything about football to love it. You just need to remember what it felt like to play for the fun of it.
Whether England win is yet to be decided but ‘Jumpers for Goalposts’ is a winner all week at the Crescent – don’t miss it!
*****
