Image credit: Rah Petherbridge
★★★★★
Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England follows 18-year-old Billy Kinley, a football fan with an almost biblical devotion to the beautiful game. It is a masterclass in chaotic brilliance, blending viral absurdity with gut-punching emotional truth. Billy strikes up a lifelong friendship with Adam and they spend their days in Monty’s Cafe, then head off to watch their beloved AFC Wimbledon. So far, so good. Until they come of age and add alcohol into the mix. They fall into a sketchy crowd and Billy slowly becomes inducted into hooliganism and ultra culture. Adam slowly retreats from him as the play explores toxic masculinity and what it means to be a man.
Alex Hill gives an exceptional performance as Billy Kinley and perfectly captures the youthful passion, exuberance and optimism of a football devotee as he comes of age. His performance is so immersive that the audience becomes the second cast member. His cheeky-chappie personality gets the audience on-side. Even though there is a hint that there will be some kind of downfall into thuggery for our hero, Hill’s performance is such that I find myself rooting for him. Every word of dialogue that comes out of Hill during the play is like poetry. The delivery is sublime.
Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England is “inspired” by the image of an England fan during the delayed England Men’s Euro 2020 final against Italy in summer 2021. The image went viral and the fan was derided by the tabloid media as a hooligan. But what begins as a laddish laugh spirals into a provocative exploration of belonging, toxic masculinity and the tribalism of football culture. The show is loud, brash, and unapologetically funny. It will also quietly break your heard. Beneath the chants and chaos lies a story about grief, mental health, and the desperate need to belong.
Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England grabs your attention, makes you howl with laughter and then quietly devastates you. It’s a love letter to football, to flawed men, and to having a sense of belonging.
Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England will be performed at Underbelly Bristo Square until 24 August (not 11) as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Lauren Gilmour
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