The Beautiful Game is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton set against the backdrop of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland during the late 1960’s. It follows a group of teenagers who are part of a primarily catholic football team and how they grow up amidst, and attempt to overthrow the violence that has consumed their community. The show focuses on the journeys of the players, their religious identities and the effect this has on them in that time, and the decision some of them make to volunteer for the IRA in order to combat the political and religious violence. 

Initially, Lloyd Webber had invited Elton to have a conversation with the motive of convincing him to assist with rewrites on Starlight Express. Elton declined, preferring to work with Lloyd Webber on something new and original. This led the pair to start penning The Beautiful Game. 

The show premiered at The Cambridge Theatre on 26 September 2000. The production was directed by Robert Carsen and featured choreography by Meryl Tankard. The opening night cast included David Shannon, Hannah Waddingham, Josie Walker and Dianne Pilkington. The production and the score seemed to hit right with the critics, however, Elton’s book and lyrics seemed to divide audiences with some citing his work was “undistinguished” and others claiming it was “brave and bitterly truthful”. The show, however, did not manage to gain as much traction as Lloyd Webber’s previous works, and the decision was made to close The Beautiful Game on 1 September 2001 with a run of just over 11 months. 

The show was reworked in 2008 by Lloyd Webber and Elton, using students at LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) to workshop the new show, now entitled The Boys in the Photograph. At this point probably the most famous song in the show ‘Our Kind Of Love’ (originally ‘The Heart Is Slow To Learn’) was removed for its originally intended use, as the titular song in Lloyd Webber’s upcoming production of Love Never Dies, and the show was given a more uplifting ending. The newly entitled Boys in the Photograph made its professional debut in a run at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Canada in April 2009 before transferring to The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto in September 2009. The rewritten version of the show was received more warmly among critics and audience members alike. 

The professional Australian premiere of the show took place in 2019 in Melbourne. 

The Beautiful Game/The Boys in the Photograph is a beautifully powerful show, and if you don’t know it Besties, give it a listen.

Cast recording available on streaming services. 

FACTS:

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Ben Elton
Book:  Ben Elton

Theatre: The Cambridge
Run: 26 September 2000 – 1 September 2001 (Around 350 performances)

OLIVIERS:

(Nominated) Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical – David Shannon, Best Actress in a Musical – Josie Walker, Best Theatre Choreographer – Meryl Tankard