A council-built football pitch. To some, this may first appear flat or lifeless but to those that live around it, this is the metal-fenced arena for which they can take on the issues of their lives, It’s the therapist’s office, the hang-out spot, the training ground, for sharing the highs and the lows with the friends who will always have each other’s backs. It’s this idea that Red Pitch at @SohoPlace is able to explore; what a simple patch of gravel can truly mean to its community and how to balance ambition with staying true to your home.

With just three cast members on stage, you’d be forgiven for expecting this play to be “small”. However, this trio are anything but. Much like the football teams their characters admire so much, the cast are able to work tightly as an ensemble to carry the explosive momentum through each scene. The chemistry between the three of them is unmatched and allows their performances to transcend “acting” in a way that is fully believable and inclusive to the audience - there are many moments in the script that hold a space for us to offer a response, which goes on to heighten the moment. In no particular order, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Emeka Sesay, and Francis Lovehall are all names to keep an eye out for in the future.

Their performances must also be a credit to director Daniel Bailey, who has clearly created a safe space both in the rehearsal room and onstage. This space reflects the very pitches that the play holds so dear, as an audience, Bailey invites us into the space while making sure that the atmosphere of the ‘Red Pitch’ is not disrupted, but enhanced; The characters are in their world, and so hold nothing is held back between friends. It’s the success here that really allows for connection, from actor to actor and actor to audience – and it’s that connection that is the driving force of the whole production. The decision to feature Khalil Madovi’s sound design as a constant reminder of the ongoing, oppressive transformation of the estate we are in is an excellent touch, and serves as a reminder of what cannot and should not be forgotten, as the play explores themes of gentrification.

Tyrell Williams must also be commended for his grounded and recognisable dialogue. The banter onstage is always natural and never feels forced. Even when, in the last half hour of the show we start to delve deeper into the friendship as the characters are tested, we never lose sight of the fact that these boys are just 16, and are learning how to explore their emotions productively, and will make mistakes along the way. What is also a great success of Red Pitch’s writing, is how it uses this 16-year-old lens to offer a fresh perspective on gentrification. Omz, Joey and Bill don’t fully understand what is happening around them, and so their discussions become an interesting mix of viewpoints that make for incredibly engaging – and entertaining – theatre. Often, as the political points the play is able to make need to be kept in line with the characters’ ages, examples of this are played as nothing more than a joke; Needing to walk much further for decent BBQ Wings because the local shop has become a Costa, but at the very end of the piece, when it becomes clear that ‘Red Pitch’ will be left behind, we see just how much it means to the people who use it in a touching display of rare emotional intimacy that means so much more thanks to the restraint exercised by Williams until that moment.

What is wonderful to see here as well, is a play that doesn’t focus on ‘struggle’ that doesn’t focus on ‘getting out of the ends’ – but explores what it means to be ambitious but also to want to stay, to keep things how they are out of a love for community. When stories with this estate setting can so often neglect this, it’s incredible to see that spirit take the spotlight on the West End. Long may these fresh perspectives continue.

 What a time it is for new British material at the moment, it seems that we are finally giving our homegrown new writing the chance it deserves, and to much success! Operation Mincemeat and The Little Big Things are both nominated for Best New Musical this year at the Oliviers, Best New Play nominees are all penned by British talent - emerging or otherwise. For Black Boys has just announced an extension to its second West End run and later this year we are set to welcome Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder; Two Strangers (Carry a Cake across New York) and Benjamin Button to the West End Stage...

Last night, it was the turn of Red Pitch to take the spotlight and score another back-of-the-net-victory for the @SohoPlace team, coming up, who knows what else our writers are working on – what’s being workshopped and remounted, noted and rewritten in the depths of our studio theatres - but it’s becoming clear, now more than ever, that we ought to be taking a chance on it.

***** - Five Stars

Reviewed by Matthew Foster