• Review For Us
    • In London or across the UK
    • at Edinburgh Fringe
  • List Your Show
  • Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Plays
  • Ballet & Dance
  • Previews
  • First Look
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
  • Home
  • News
    • West End
    • Off-West End
    • Regional & Tours
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Digital Theatre
  • Tickets
    • Discounts
    • Musicals
    • Plays
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Concerts
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer
No Result
View All Result
Theatre Weekly
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews

Review: The Red Lion at Trafalgar Studios

by Greg Stewart
November 6, 2017
Reading Time: 4 mins read
The Red Lion Review at Trafalgar Studios

The Red Lion Review at Trafalgar Studios

Four Star Review from Theatre WeeklyIt’s been just two years since Patrick Marber’s The Red Lion was last staged in London, but this new production, directed by Max Roberts at Trafalgar Studios, has seen the writer relegate much of the original material.  It’s also had a change of setting, to an unspecified Northern town, although the accents make it sound very much like somewhere near Newcastle, where this version of the play ran before transferring to London.

The Red Lion is a play about the state of the nation as much as it is a play about Football, while there’s occasional references to transfer fees and the blind referee, you don’t need to be an expert in the game to grasp the context of what’s happening.

Here we avoid the heady heights of millionaire players, the kind of football most people will be familiar with, and instead we get a glimpse in to the hidden sanctuary of the non-league dressing room.  The club has essentially had its day, and is trying desperately to relive the former glory of its past.

       

The team’s manager, Kidd, acts as if he’s running Arsenal, not seeming willing to accept the position he’s actually in, ashamed to admit he can no longer afford a mobile phone, except on Pay As You Go, which he says is for “infants and drug dealers”.  Long suffering kit-man, Yates, irons the uniforms and gives advice to the young boys who make up the team.

The unexpected arrival of a young star, Jordan, exposes the underhand nature with which the beautiful game is played.  All three characters face choices, Jordan says he won’t take a dive or cheat but we soon learn he’s not as moralistic as he purports.  Kidd’s behaviour isn’t just over the line, it’s positively off-side, with deals dodgier than his hat.

You mightalso like

Dealer's Choice at Donmar Warehouse

Major revival of Patrick Marber’s Dealer’s Choice to open at Donmar Warehouse

The Producers review Andy Nyman (Max Bialystock), Marc Antolin (Leo Bloom). by Manuel Harlan

Review: The Producers at Menier Chocolate Factory

Much of the inspiration for the play probably came from Marber’s own experience in taking over Lewes FC, and so he’s superbly placed to examine the characters in great detail.  There are only three of them, and the only hint of an actual team is the row of uniforms hanging on the back wall of Patrick Connellan’s suitably shabby set.

That does allow for a great deal of examination, and you feel by the end of it, you more or less have the measure of each of them.  Although there are aspects where you wonder if you’re getting the full story, and if some vital part of the plot was cut, which would have explained it all.

This play about a non-league team has a premier league cast, in the form of Stephen Tompkinson, Dean Bone and John Bowler.  Each of them bring something unique to the piece, the first part is wickedly funny, with Tompkinson driving most of the humour, his Geordie accent seeming to emphasise the comedy aspects.

It soon moves on to a more emotional piece of drama, Dean Bone does a great job of conveying the naivety of Jordan, mixed with the emotional turmoil the character has faced, while John Bowler carves out the figure of a faded man who failed to live up to his own expectations.

       

Whether you see The Red Lion as a play about the state of Britain, or as a play about Football, you’ll see the deep character study which Marber has undertaken.  It’s beautifully structured in the way it cuts from one Saturday to the next, with rip-roaring comedy giving way to a more moving and tender narrative.

The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion Review at Trafalgar Studios
The Red Lion Review at Trafalgar Studios
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Live Theatre and Trish Wadley Presents at Trafalgar Studios Director Max Roberts Starring Steven Tompkinson John Bowler Dean Bone
Greg Stewart

Greg Stewart

Greg is an award-winning writer with a huge passion for theatre. He has appeared on stage, as well as having directed several plays in his native Scotland. Greg is the founder and editor of Theatre Weekly

Related Articles

Dealer's Choice at Donmar Warehouse
News

Major revival of Patrick Marber’s Dealer’s Choice to open at Donmar Warehouse

The Producers review Andy Nyman (Max Bialystock), Marc Antolin (Leo Bloom). by Manuel Harlan
Reviews

Review: The Producers at Menier Chocolate Factory

Andy Nyman (Max Bialystock), Marc Antolin (Leo BLoom) pic by Manuel Harlan
First Look

First Look: The Producers at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Rehearsal

LtoR Dorothea Myer Bennett and Simon Yadoo cMark Senior
First Look

First Look: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at Marylebone Theatre

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Twitter Facebook Youtube Instagram

At Theatre Weekly we give theatre a new audience. You'll find our theatre news, theatre reviews and theatre interviews are written from an audience point of view. Our great value London theatre tickets will get you the best deal for your theatre tickets.
Theatre Weekly, 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
  • Join Our Community
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising

Recent News

Medusa Marketing Image supplied by the company (1)

Review: Medusa at Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Spin A Play (Credit Lynsey Nicol)

Spin-a-Play Brings Improvised Chaos to Camden Fringe 2025

© 2022 Theatre Weekly

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Tickets
  • Digital Theatre
  • News
    • News
    • West End
    • Off West End
    • Regional & Tours
    • Digital
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Edinburgh Fringe 2025
    • Edinburgh Fringe News
    • Edinburgh Fringe Previews
    • Edinburgh Fringe Interviews
  • Contact Us
    • Join us as a Reviewer

© 2022 Theatre Weekly