Football is the medium – friendship is the message
Tyrell Williams’ Red Pitch makes its West End debut @sohoplace following 2 sold-out runs at the Bush Theatre, and a flurry of awards. Directed by Daniel Bailey, close friend and long-time collaborator of Williams, this semi-autobiographical play doesn’t need its audience to love, or even be remotely interested in, the beautiful game – football is the medium rather than the message in this moving and amusing coming-of-age story.
@sohoplace’s in-the-round theatre works particularly well as a setting for this production, with the central stage designed by Amelia Jane Hankin as the titular red pitch, the audience become spectators in the stands. The show follows three friends – Bilal (Kedar Williams-Stirling of Sex Education), Joey (Emeka Sesay), and Omz (Francis Lovehall) – living on a council estate in South London, as they grow up, grow apart, and of course, play football.
Choreography (Gabrielle Nimo) is fresh, synchronised and energetic, sound (Khalil Madovi) and lighting (Ali Hunter) are both excellent, but it’s Williams’ script and the chemistry of the cast that make this production an instant hit. On the particular night I attended, understudy Toyin Omari-Kinch played Omz, but you could have believed you were seeing the original cast, together from 2022, from the seamless way these three actors interacted on stage.
Bilal’s arrogant charm comes easily for Williams-Stirling, but the real achievement for him lies in conveying the deep fear that underlies this character’s ambition and obsessive desire to succeed. Sesay is excellent as the calm and collected Joey, and Omz’s brittle, defensive energy is almost tangible through Omari-Kinch’s performance.
Williams’ grew up on a council estate in south London, forged friendships through football, belonged to a community like the one in this play – perhaps that is why these three teenage boys, their lives hopes and the bond between them, feel stunningly real, and absolutely true.
The show explores themes of gentrification without “exploring” them – the audience is mercifully saved from long expository monologues that feel more like an interview with the writer than a piece of drama. Instead, we see the effects of these changes as they impact the lives of Bilal, Joey and Omz. The regeneration and gentrification of this London neighbourhood aren’t explored through an academic, or even political lens – this is purely personal. It’s home, it’s family, it’s friends. It’s opportunity and it’s also loss, as change always is.
Williams’ effortless humour ensures this production is an easy watch, in spite of and through its more heartbreaking moments. The structure of the play isn’t perfect, with most of the key plot points coming late in the drama, but this is still a beautifully told story, with instantly likeable characters, and an important exploration of the way that spaces and places can shape our lives.
Red Pitch is showing @sohoplace until the 4th May, so get a ticket quick. I would wholeheartedly recommend it.