Promised Land: A Northern Love Story

Promised Land Jacket image large

Guest blog post by Anthony Clavane, author of Promised Land A Northern Love Story

The 20th anniversary of the publication of Fever Pitch is approaching. Nick Hornby has had many imitators – and to be honest I long ago tired of the “I split up with my girlfriend just after Ipswich snatched an unlikely point at Southampton” school of sportswriting – but there is no doubt his confessional memoir was a landmark tome. It was poignant, hilarious and beautifully written. And it seemed to sum up my generation’s addiction to football.

But there is one thing I have always disagreed with Hornby on. The theatre.

I once spent a few hours with him before he was famous, talking about all the usual subjects – music, comedy, worst break-ups, best books about The Beatles and the relative merits and demerits of Perry Groves – when we suddenly found ourselves disagreeing violently about plays, which he seemed to think were too posh and pretentious.

So I was interested in what he had to say on the radio on Monday, when he argued that ordinary folk were being priced out of the People’s Game. “My impression is that most kids go now (to football),” he said, “as they would go to the theatre, a treat, something they would see three or four times a year.”
He has a point.
But at the moment I am co-writing, with the playwright Nick Stimson, a play based on my book Promised Land: A Northern Love Story, and this comment triggered a flashback to the conversation we had all those years ago.

I remember telling him that I used to work at Leeds Playhouse – since renamed and rebuilt as the West Yorkshire Playhouse – and would frequently sit in on performances of the latest Bleasdale, Russell and Wesker. And then, every other Saturday, I’d stand on The Kop at Elland Road – and experience the same visceral thrill as if I were in the Playhouse. When I moved to London I used to divide my leisure time between going to the theatre and watching football (and occasionally trying to bring down the Thatcher government). I remember you could pay a quid to stand at the back of many West End theatres. I saw some plays, like Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Comedians and Glengarry Glenn Ross, over and over again this way.

My point is that football and the theatre are equally exciting to me. Always have been, always will be. Recently I went to a fantastic Red Ladder show called Big Society. It starred the comedian Phill Jupitus, who played an old-style variety entertainer. The band, composed of members of Chumbawumba, bashed out rollicking music hall songs and a cardboard cut-out of King Edward VII looked down from the royal box. It was at the City Varieties in Leeds – and it was a throwback to a time when theatre was a place for “ordinary folk” to have a good night out.

Nick and I are writing a community play by and for the people of Leeds. It will feature a cast of 40 and boast a live band. No previous acting experience is required. The focus of the piece is a love affair – between two young idealists growing up in the mid-1970s – but a starring role has been allocated to The Kop, who will be like a Greek Chorus, commenting on the action, singing terrace anthems, love songs and Jewish prayers.

I’ll never forget the wonderful choreographic representation of a match in John Godber’s Up ‘n’ Under. At school, I loved acting out Peter Terson’s 1967 terrace anthem Zigger Zagger, which was commissioned by the National Youth Theatre. At the moment Phoenix Dance Theatre, who choreographed a Leeds Rhinos rugby piece to the orchestral music of Carl Davis, are developing a dance called Score with the Leeds United Foundation. Last year, at the Barbican, a piece called Total Football featured an homage to Wayne Rooney which combined dance and drum’n’bass.

Obviously such things invite ridicule. I keep being told that football people and theatre people inhabit totally different worlds – and never the twain shall meet. But if Joey Barton can tweet about his love of art galleries, anything is possible.

And bringing football into theatre isn’t entirely a new phenomenon. In King Lear, Shakespeare has the Earl of Kent – the El-Hadji Diouf of the early 1600s – kicking Oswald and calling him a ‘base football player’.

*Red Ladder are looking for 40 participants to be involved in this first stage adaptation of Promised Land. No previous acting experience is necessary, just enthusiasm and the ability to commit to weekly rehearsals. Auditions will be held on Sat 31 March and Sun 1 April 2012 at Yorkshire Dance. Visit Red Ladder’s website for more details and to book a place at the auditions.

3 comments

  1. Sounds interesting, I look forward to seeing it.

    I love watching / taking part in sporting & cultural activities equally. I never really understand why so many people think you can enjoy one or the other and disregard the one they don’t enjoy as a waste of time.

  2. Theatre (or any other art form) can happily coexist with lovers of footy (and other sports), I’ve never understood the view that somehow lovers of sport and ‘culture’ are completely different beasts. I do however think that Hornby’s point about it becoming a treat rather than a way of life for example is totally valid. Live sport and theatre increasingly (in my experience) comes down to cost with many (me included) regularly priced out meaning a family outing absolutely becomes a rare treat.

  3. Hey Emma, I’m a big fan of your article. “A north love story” touches me amazingly though. It’s great story write up seems to me though kinda impressive. Thanks!
    http://aokc.net/

Comments are closed.