There is plenty of talent on the field, but the early game is marred by obvious set pieces. In this wish-fulfilment fantasy by Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse, a squad of women are in training for the Homeless World Cup. Their moves are agile and their banter sharp, but the familiar pattern of team-building exercises and first-person testimonials has the drifting quality of a warm-up.
But as the 90 minutes power on, Bryony Shanahan’s production shows its premier-league class. What seems secondary to the action in the early stages – the story of the unpaid bills, the misfiring job interview and the one about the teenage carer – turns out to be the groundwork for a thrilling combination of sporting excitement and personal validation.
What Gordon and Nurse capture brilliantly, in a play developed in conjunction with the Dundee Women’s Street Soccer Team, is the capacity of football not only to provide confidence, camaraderie and a sense of purpose, but also to challenge the players at their most vulnerable. As the Scotland team ticks off the heats in Milan, the pressure of success and the risk of defeat force them to face their demons. They are changed by the game.
And we are too in a production that casts us as a crowd of supporters cheering on Shanahan’s A-team: Chloe-Anne Tylor austere as Jo, Hannah Jarrett-Scott ferocious as the B, Hiftu Quasem light-footed as Noor, Kim Allan timid as Sammy and Louise Ludgate shell-shocked as Lorraine.
Making dynamic use of Alisa Kalyanova’s grass-green set, enhanced by Lizzie Powell’s amusing stadium lighting, they get us so invested in an imaginary tournament that we instantly rise to our feet to sing Flower of Scotland. At the same time, we have become heart-wrenchingly invested in the players. It is a trophy-winning combination.
At the Traverse theatre, Edinburgh, until 23 December
