Theatre / weston studio
Review: The Red Lion, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘a delicately constructed web of views, motives, relationships and secrets’
In the scratched and worn changing room of a non-league football team, Yates irons the kit while Kidd gesticulates and complains. Their relationship runs along separate tracks, avoiding anything that might reveal the ideological void between them; the disdain they hold for each other only too apparent.
Yates irons and Kidd complains, as they have every day for two years.
Then into the changing room comes Jordan, a fantastically talented young player looking for a team – and suddenly the divide between Yates and Kidd can no longer be ignored.
is needed now More than ever
(l-r) David Lloyd and Thomas McGee – photo: Chelsey Cliff
The Red Lion is a story about three generations, and three outlooks on life.
Former club manager Yates began his life with the team, the club his father helped found. For him, the Lions are intricately associated with his childhood, his heritage, and his prime.
David Lloyd, himself a former Bristol City match day announcer, imbues Yates with a mellowness that reflects a man who has seen many hardships and come to peace with them. Yet he also shows flashes of the man this once was – a passionate, talented player with a fiery aggression. Lloyd’s is a detailed and watchable performance.
(l-r) Joe Sims and David Lloyd – photo: Chelsey Cliff
Current manager Kidd (Joe Sims) loves football too. He loves its skill, its aggression and its greed. The game resonates with his drive for success.
A former manager of youth teams, Sunday league teams and semi-pro teams, Kidd cares about the game but not the club. To him, the pockmarked pitch and talentless referees are things to be complained of. Yates is merely ‘a bloke I inherited’.
Then comes Jordan (Thomas McGee, here making his professional debut). He knows what he loves (football) and what he stands for (Christianity), but the business side of community football is new to him. As the two other men feed him different norms, rules and offers of trust, he isn’t sure who to believe, and when – or how – to hold onto his morals.
The delicately constructed web of views, motives, relationships and secrets creates an absorbing exploration of the world of community football. It is developed with enjoyable subtlety, and backed up by performances that draw out the detail.
(l-r) Thomas McGee and David Lloyd – photo: Chelsey Cliff
There are some points for improvement. One wishes the religious element hadn’t been introduced quite so bluntly at the beginning, with precious little relevance to the conversation at hand and much unwarranted repetition.
The frequent use of monologues is a little odd for such a naturalistic play – though one must account for theatrical style, I suppose. However, it is even more odd that the actors address all monologues directly to the audience, completely ignoring the characters who are right there in the scene with them.
Yet these are small points in an otherwise well made production.
The Red Lion is an engaging piece of theatre that draws out the passion and tensions within community football. Forget the drawing room drama: now is the time for the changing room drama.
The Red Lion is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED from February 8-19, at 8pm, with an additional 3pm matinee on February 10, 12 and 19 (no shows on Sunday and Monday). Tickets are available from www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
Main image: Chelsey Cliff
Listen to the latest episode of the Bristol 24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
