Eddy Canfor-Dumas

An excellent cast, with a terrific performance by Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate in the lead. But the play itself is problematic, a redemption story with no redemption. The challenge of fashioning a satisfying story from the real-life material is not overcome – England actually went backwards in the Qatar World Cup – and Southgate’s narrative arc is, in reality, unfinished. The overtly political elements strained for relevance. I’m not surprised that they didn’t seem to know quite how to end the play.