REVIEW: DEAR ENGLAND @ NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE

🎭 Dear England

📍 New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1QG

🗓 Tuesday 24th February 2026

⭐️ 3 Stars

OFFSIDE AND UNDERWHELMING

It's the play that's had more hype than a World Cup final, and after bagging all the nominations under the sun, James Graham's DEAR ENGLAND has kicked off a UK tour which I was invited to watch last night at the New Wimbledon Theatre. But honestly, I was left feeling like it hit the crossbar.

For a show that spends half its runtime talking about the importance of "storytelling" and "changing the narrative", it's ironically where the production falls flat. The script just doesn't flow, and for me, it really lacks the very storytelling it preaches. It felt surprisingly lacklustre given the mountain of award nominations it received, the writing simply didn't have the "back of the net" impact I was expecting.

I struggled with the squad themselves to be honest. It felt like the actors were so laser-focused on nailing the specific regional accents of the players that the performance lost its soul. Conversations didn't flow naturally and felt wooden. It was one of those nights where I could constantly tell the actors were acting, which just pulls you right out of the moment.

That said, the veterans in the cast really propped things up. Samantha Womack is the undisputed standout as Pippa Grange, bringing a much-needed grounded energy to the psych sessions. It's an absolute shame that this character feels somewhat sidelined after the interval. David Sturzaker also does a solid job as Gareth Southgate, capturing the quiet, waistcoat-wearing determination with real poise.

There's some cracking multi-rolling to enjoy too. Ian Kirkby delivers a Gary Lineker that is quite frankly impressively spot on, and Courtney George is brilliantly funny as Theresa May. Her comic timing was a total highlight.

My absolute favourite part of the evening has to be the opening of Act 2. It was a total shot of adrenaline, and if the rest of the show had maintained those energy levels, my star rating may well have been higher. Unfortunately the momentum often dipped, particularly during the penalty scenes. For those of us who follow the England team, the "suspense" of the shootouts felt a bit redundant because we already knew the outcome - and the staging didn't quite do enough to make the familiar feel fresh.

Technically, the show is pretty polished. The lighting and sound design are strong, and do a good job at keeping the atmosphere alive. But the direction and writing ultimately let the side down. It has its funny moments, but there were times when the tone slipped so far into panto territory that it frankly felt weird.

For me personally, the most important thing about any theatrical production is the central story, and this is what stifled the play to be honest. I couldn't help but feel that this would have worked better as a BBC series, broken down into episodes. This would perhaps give the story more flesh, and would maybe delve a bit more into the characters of the squad members.

I'm old enough to remember watching Southgate missing that famous penalty in 1996 - I can even remember where I witnessed that moment - but I somehow just didn't feel the nostalgia factor I was expecting.

Overall I'd say that this was a bit of a mid-table performance. It's got the flash, but lacks the finish.

DEAR ENGLAND continues performances in Wimbledon until Saturday 28th February. Click here to check availability and to book tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Dear England was gifted by New Wimbledon Theatre who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

David Sturzaker as Gareth Southgate; Samantha Womack as Pippa Grange; Jake Ashton-Nelson as Jordan Henderson; Ian Bartholomew as Greg Dyke / Graham Taylor / Steve Holland / Vicar; Jass Beki as Bukayo Saka / Danny Rose; Ashley Byam as Raheem Sterling; Steven Dykes as Sam Allardyce / Physio Phil / Fabio Copello / Panama Manager / Gianni Infantino; Amarae Edson as Marcus Rashford; Courtney George as Alex Scott / Roxanne / Theresa May / Sarina Wiegman; Oscar Gough as Harry Kane; Jayden Hanley as Marcus Rashford; Connor Hawker as Harry Maguire; Kadell Herida as Kieran Trippier / Jadon Sancho; Ian Kirkby as Gary Lineker / Sven-Göran Eriksson / Greg Clarke / Matt Le Tissier / Thomas Tuche; Tom Lane as Eric Dier; Jack Maddison as Jordan Pickford; Liam Prince-Donnelly as Deli Alli; George Rainsford as Mike Webster / McNulty / Boris Johnson

Ensemble: Stuart Ash; Natalie Boakye; Ebube Chukwuma; Sam Craig; Miles Henderson; Alex Wadham

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 50 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Offensive language; Strobe lighting; Bright lights directly focused at the audience; Loud noises

AGE GUIDELINES:

10 +

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