ENG-ER-LAND at the King’s Head Theatre

★★★

“There are some lovely moments in this one woman show, but it doesn’t quite get below the surface of the subject matter”

This endearing exploration of a teenage football fan’s identity ultimately feels a little toothless.

Lizzie is an English Coventry supporter. But she’s also half Scottish, and half Indian, and a 13-year-old girl in a very white town in 1996. These parts of her identity clash together, as she struggles to find her place as an atypical football fan.

The premise is clear but the story goes exactly the way you’d expect. Hannah Kumari’s script is littered with 1990s references, from CK1 perfume to a dance number from the U.K.’s ‘96 Eurovision entry. It’s grounded in its world, but the decision to set it in this era feels a little random and does nothing to avoid inevitable Bend it Like Beckham comparisons.

Nikhita Lesler’s performance is charming, but its peppy naivety leaves little room for the introspection which might bring more depth and complexity to the show. There is a warmth to her performance though, which sets the tone and means the play isn’t overwhelmingly bleak. Equally, it makes it feel tame.

This is amplified by Max Lindsay’s direction which lacks any pause for reflection. There’s a gut punching revelation, which isn’t quite earned in the general tone up until then and so somehow feels like a cheap reveal. The range of characters, and caricatures, is deftly handled, and there are some witty moments as Lizzie struggles around other people in her life. There are also some genuinely moving moments, but the strongest are when Lizzie interacts with others, rather than her slightly forced audience asides.

The play is produced by FSA and Fans for Diversity which explains why there are moments that feel like an advert for watching football. There’s a nod to the future, to 2024 when football culture (especially women’s football culture) has changed. I would’ve been more interested to see a contemporary take on this story and look at how much it really has changed for this character to go to football games, given the game is still so interlinked with racism and nationalism.

There are some lovely moments in this one woman show, but it doesn’t quite get below the surface of the subject matter. It’s sweet, and charming, but a little empty.

ENG-ER-LAND at the King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 31st July 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Jack Jeffreys

Previously reviewed at this venue:

DIVA: LIVE FROM HELL! | ★★★★ | June 2024

BEATS | ★★★ | April 2024

BREEDING | ★★★★ | March 2024

TURNING THE SCREW | ★★★★ | February 2024

EXHIBITIONISTS | ★★ | January 2024

DIARY OF A GAY DISASTER | ★★★★ | July 2023

THE BLACK CAT | ★★★★★ | March 2023

THE MANNY | ★★★ | January 2023

FAME WHORE | ★★★ | October 2022

THE DROUGHT | ★★★ | September 2022

ENG-ER-LAND

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

★★★★

“With the actors all multi-rolling throughout the run, each performance feels fresh – packed with improv and lightning quick reactions”

Sh!tfaced Shakespeare is, by now, a well-known commodity. This year marks their eleventh year at Edinburgh Fringe, their fourteenth year as a company and firms them as a staple of the Leicester Square Theatre. I’ve been to several of these shows and they’re always a riot. It’s silly and hyper-sexualised and sometimes barely Shakespeare but it’s always a great night out.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream works well paired with chaotic drunken energy and lustful thrusting. It’s what the Bard would’ve wanted.

The concept is simple. It’s a straight(ish) Shakespeare play, but one actor is very drunk. Chaos and hilarity ensues.

It doesn’t rely entirely on the gimmick. There were laughs beyond the drunken actor, with quick improv and some clever word play in the scripted moments. Though obviously the most fun is had with the person who’s ‘sh!tfaced’.

What stops these shows from being unbearably cringey is the chemistry between the performers. There’s real love there, and this felt particularly true for this performance. Beth Louise Priestly was drunk, and consistently slipped into using the actors’ real names, usually to say how much she loved them. They feel like a group of loving pals, whom it’s fun to watch have fun. They’re also all very funny.

With the actors all multi-rolling throughout the run, each performance feels fresh – packed with improv and lightning quick reactions. Julia Bird doesn’t lean too much into the pixie realm as Puck, she is full of laddish energy and bawdy one-liners. Stacey Norris is a hilariously tragic Helena and James Murfitt is a gloriously mischievous Oberon. Charlie Keable can barely keep a straight face as he whips out pun after pun and Eugene Evans plays a delightfully strait-laced Demetrius with an impressive codpiece. Natalie Boakye holds it all together as a joyous and energetic compare – who still manages to have an eye out for health and safety (and the run time).

With a show that’s different every night, packed full of ridiculous over the top fun, you could go to this every night and not get bored.

ENG-ER-LAND at the King’s Head Theatre

★★★

“There are some lovely moments in this one woman show, but it doesn’t quite get below the surface of the subject matter”

ENG-ER-LAND at the King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 31st July 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Jack Jeffreys

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ENG-ER-LAND

ENG-ER-LAND

SH!T-FACED A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at Leicester Square Theatre

★★★★

“With the actors all multi-rolling throughout the run, each performance feels fresh – packed with improv and lightning quick reactions”

SH!T-FACED A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at Leicester Square Theatre

Reviewed on 18th July 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Andrew AB Photography

Previously reviewed at this venue:

SH!T-FACED

SH!T-FACED