Roy Williams has already written a terrific play about football and racism, Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads, which premiered at the National in 2002; now he's written another, but this time for children. He joins a select group of playwrights, including David Greig and Bryony Lavery, who rightly rate writing plays for children alongside their work for adults, and make no distinction in quality between the two.
Williams's play takes us back to 1978, when Viv Anderson, the Nottingham Forest fullback, became the first black footballer to play for England in an international match. Times are changing: for black teenager Carl Wilkins the future looks bright as his tryout at Chelsea beckons, even though he's been written off by his teachers and can barely read. To Wayne, dubbed "the Irish Pele" by his racist classmates because he is black and useless at footie, Carl is a hero. But in his eagerness to be good at football despite two left feet, Wayne neglects real friendships and overlooks his own talents.
Williams's writing is punchy; he is very good on Wayne's yearning to be one of the "in" crowd, and, in particular, on the casual racism of teachers and Carl's fellow Chelsea apprentices. Wayne's gradual understanding of the realities of the world make this a touching coming-of-age drama. The play's best scene is a titanic struggle between father and son over the TV remote. But there are failings. The whole thing feels underdeveloped and, at an hour, doesn't have time to breathe. Both Williams and director Jonathan Lloyd also fall into the trap of creating female stereotypes. Still, Darren Hart and Ashley Chin perform 22 roles with brio.
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