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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Anya Ryan

Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads review – a burning portrait of racism in Britain

Spine-tingling performances … Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads.
Spine-tingling performances … Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads. Photograph: Helen Murray

Twenty years since its first staging at the National Theatre, Roy Williams’s foul-mouthed and vicious portrait of racism in Britain has, miserably, taken on an even more distressing relevance.

It is set in 2000, in a south-west London boozer where a group of regulars and footie fans have gathered to watch the England v Germany World Cup qualifying match. It’s loud, sprawling and full of alcohol-fuelled sing-song. But as the home team starts to lose control of the game, the patriotism twists to uncover a deep-rooted xenophobia buried just underneath.

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