12.97°C The Invincibles at the Headgate Theatre, Colchester, does a sterling job.
The play, written by Amanda Whittington, follows the Sterling Ladies football team (also known as the Dagenham Invincibles) during World War I, while also following a young girl watching the 2023 Women’s World Cup. These two stories are woven beautifully and performed brilliantly by all involved. This is by no means an easy play to pull off, but directors Paul T Davies and Tim Young do the story and the women justice. The acting from all involved is strong throughout, and the piece never fails to find humour in everyday settings and relationships.
The play pulls you in immediately with Alex Enachi’s performance of a soldier writing a letter home whilst on the front line, then moves straight into a goosebump-inducing rendition of Keep The Home Fires Burning. Bringing the piece back into the 21st century, the play has a real match-day feel, with commentary from Louise Harris and podcast hosts Kate Cavill and Lucia Fox. All the elements are blended beautifully to make a brilliant and thought-provoking piece of theatre.
There are too many brilliant performances to name; however, performers who stood out to me were Charlie Scott Haynes as Gladys Fairman and Chris Smith as Ed “Cholley” Chollerton. They portrayed the characters beautifully and made stellar acting look easy.
With themes of war, devastation, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), community and, of course, football, this is amazing work from all involved and an absolute treat.
Photo credit: Sally Parkinson Photography
