Review: Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse for England (Garrick Theatre)

Review by Ruth Sealey

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Walking through London to the Garrick Theatre, I couldn’t help but notice the myriad of football shirts on display. I am not a football follower, but even I know that the World Cup is upon us and the hopes of a nation are pinned on eleven players kicking a ball between the posts. Into this feverish atmosphere comes Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England. Turning its lens on football culture and modern masculinity, would this play find the back of the net or be something of an own goal?

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England has come a long way to reach this point, picking up its own supporters along the way. Premiering in 2023 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the production quickly sold out its run before embarking on a UK tour in 2024. Tonight’s performance in London’s West End, before the show heads to New York for Off-Broadway performances, is a testament to the trajectory of what was once a small fringe show.

The show is inspired by the real-life incident that took place ahead of the Euro final between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium in 2021. During the build-up to the game, an England supporter was photographed in Leicester Square placing a lit flare between his buttocks. The footage quickly went viral, but what was the story behind the man, and why had he made such a drastic gesture in support of a game of football?

Written and performed by Alex Hill, this piece takes the image and imagines the life behind it, creating an insightful commentary on football culture. Hill plays Billy Kinley, an 18-year-old whose very existence revolves around his devotion to AFC Wimbledon. Starting at the infamous flare incident and hinting at the chaotic nature of Billy’s life at that point, the audience is taken back to his childhood and the events that shaped him. Pivotal to this are Billy’s best friend Adam, his girlfriend Daisy, and the gang of football hooligans led by ‘Winegum’. We never actually meet these characters on stage, but Hill’s writing is so nuanced and detailed that it feels as though we have.

The play is a frenetic 75-minute one-man storytelling and is expertly directed by Sean Turner. The movement around the stage and the use of space beyond are inspired. Pacing throughout is excellent, with hardly a moment to breathe, yet never feeling like it is rushed. Turner clearly knows when to let the comedy land and when to allow the emotional moments to take centre stage, something which is especially evident in the emotional conclusion, which takes the audience by surprise. 

Delivering the humour with ease and the emotion with feeling, Hill excellently captures the high-octane pace of match day and the gentler moments of life away from the beautiful game. He sprints around the stage, downs a pint or two, and manages to give an excellent summary of Les Misérables from the stalls. He is a whirlwind of energy, and his emotion at the conclusion of the play shows what a talented performer he is.

Hill addresses some uncomfortable topics with throwaway lines that hint at football’s darker subculture, where homophobia and racism can be passed off as little more than acceptable ‘banter’. The stage is adorned with the St George’s Cross, a proud symbol of our country, but also one now associated with division and sometimes controversy. This is not just a play about football, but an exploration of the relationship that people in this country have with the game – one that can be intertwined with violence and alcohol. It raises questions of how young men find a sense of belonging and what happens when they look for this in the wrong places or with the wrong people.

I have described the serious elements of the play, but I found myself asking whether this is actually a comedy. It certainly has heart-warming and hilarious moments, and Hill is an absolute master of audience interactions. At times, it was hard to tell where Hill ended and Billy Kinley began as he broke character (or did he?) to speak to the audience. It was a joy to be in a West End theatre, watching a show that had absolutely not forgotten its fringe roots and how vital that audience connection is. As latecomers arrived in their seats, Hill began the longest ad lib I will probably ever see in the theatre, and welcomed them with, “I get it on tour, but this is the big one!” and proceeded to recap for them everything they had missed to that point, much to the delight of the audience.

The sound design by Sam Baxter captures a variety of scene changes: the subtle buzz of a hair salon, the background murmur of a café, and the muffled bass from outside a nightclub all help to set the scenes effectively, while never overpowering the onstage actions. James Dean’s lighting complements the design elements perfectly, rising and falling with the emotions on stage - at times glaring and overbearing as the football hooligans fight, or gentle as a mournful Billy reflects on the loss of his mother.

You do not have to be a football fan to find a connection with Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England.  It is a social commentary that resonates today, both in relation to football and with wider discussion about patriotism and what it means to be English. Society, at times, can feel disconnected, and this play shows how a need to belong can sometimes lead people to avoid challenging the very things they know they should. This play is heartbreaking and heart-warming in equal measure, leaving the audience to reflect on how far they might go in the name of belonging.

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England played one night only at The Garrick Theatre, before transferring to New York for a run of Off-Broadway performances. Tickets from https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/see-a-show/why-i-stuck-a-flare-up-my-arse-for-england

Photos by Rah Petherbridge