EDINBURGH 2010: BWW Reviews: TWO BROTHERS AND ONE WORLD CUP (Underbelly)

Michael Billington complained recently about sport never inspiring great theatre. Two Brothers and One World Cup, entertaining as it was, demonstrated why sport in theatre is so rare - because the high emotion and drama of a live sporting event simply cannot be conveyed on stage (or on film) by actors. Narration is necessary to set the scene for those people who might not remember the event; those who do remember the event find themselves cringing at this emotional experience being distilled into mere words and acted out - and more than that, their own perceptions of the way it happened may not tally up with the writer's anyway.

That said, this is a cleverly crafted piece about sibling rivalry to a backdrop of football tournaments and the songs they inspired. There's even a touch of audience participation as the onlookers choose which tournament the brothers should tell them about next. You don't even have to like football to see this play - though I'd recommend that it helps.

 

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