Dear England | West End opening night with Joseph Fiennes and more

They shoot… they score! WhatsOnStage was in attendance at the Prince Edward Theatre last night for the official opening of Dear England‘s West End transfer. At the show’s afterparty, we caught up with playwright James Graham and director Rupert Goold, alongside cast members Joseph Fiennes (who plays leading man Gareth Southgate), Dervla Kirwan (Dr Pippa Grange), Will Close (Harry Kane) and Darragh Hand (Marcus Rashford), to get the lowdown on the football-infused smash hit. The piece has been restaged at the Prince Edward following its five-star premiere at the National Theatre. The West End cast also includes Denzel Baidoo as Bukayo Saka, Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford, Gunnar Cauthery as Gary Lineker, Crystal Condie as Alex Scott, Will Fletcher as Jordan Henderson, John Hodgkinson as Greg Clarke, Lloyd Hutchinson as Sam Allardyce, Albert Magashi as Jadon Sancho, Kel Matsena as Raheem Sterling, Lewis Shepherd as Dele Alli, Griffin Stevens as Harry Maguire, Paul Thornley as Mike Webster, Tony Turner as Greg Dyke, and Ryan Whittle as Eric Dier, with Nick Barclay, Tashinga Bepete, Kate Kelly Flood, Will Harrison-Wallace, Miranda Heath, Tom Mahy and Tristan Waterson completing the company. The cast also play additional roles as part of the ensemble. The creative team also features set designer Es Devlin, costume designer Evie Gurney, lighting designer Jon Clark, movement directors Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf, sound designers Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons, video designer Ash J Woodward, dialect coach Richard Ryder and associate director Elin Schofield. Casting is by Bryony Jarvis Taylor. Dear England continues at the Prince Edward Theatre until 13 January 2024.