The Giant Killers

27th – 29th June 2024

You either come from a football house or you don’t, I said to my colleague the other day. She comes from one, I don’t. So, while I appreciate that some people are super into football, I never really understood why they were super into football. After watching The Giant Killers at Wilton’s Music Hall last week, I finally get it, but don’t worry, a pre-existing knowledge of football isn’t necessary to enjoy the play.

Giant Killers is set in Darwen – or ‘Darren’ if you’re posh – between the years of 1877 and 1879 when things were rapidly changing on and off the pitch. From the moment the four-person cast walked onto the stage I was hooked, and if the audible gasp from the audience at the interval was anything to go by, I’d say everyone else was too.

With the determination of Lucy (Eve Pearson-Wright), the financial backing of Mr Ashton (Nicholas Shaw), and Robert Kirkham’s (Andrew Pearson-Wright) knowledge of football, Billy (Graham Butler) is able to lead his team to become the first working-class team to play in the FA cup.

They defied all odds – travelling up and down to London – and there were moments when I truly felt as though I was in the Kennington Oval, watching their match against the Old Etonians and avidly rooting for Darwin FC. To create this atmosphere with just four people on the stage and a simple yet effective set is no small feat.

Nor are the parallel storylines of social unrest and family life for that matter, which were both very moving. Even when the going got tough, football was always there, and that’s still the case today.

“From the moment the four-person cast walked onto the stage I was hooked”

I appreciate that little bit more now and as Arthur Hopcraft wrote in The Football Man: “The point about football in Britain is that it is not just a sport that people take to. It is built into the urban psyche, as much a common experience to our children as are uncles and school. It is not a phenomenon; it’s an everyday matter”.

That being said, this is a play for everyone, not just football aficionados, and luckily for you, The Giant Killers is on tour until the 2nd of August. It’s heading up north for three weeks before making its way to The Exchange in Twickenham on the 27th of July.

If it’s on in a theatre near you, make sure you go and see it.

Maggie John