On Tuesday, 22nd September I made the long old trek to the Putney Arts Centre to see Jumpers for Goal Posts, a play detailing the goings-on of an LGBT five-a-side pub football team, Barely Athletic. Football? Pub? I didn’t fancy my chances with this one. Not helped by seeing the set as I got seated – a mud-covered changing room – reminding me of my very own experiences of sport at school (I haven’t played sport since). I used to negotiate with my gym teacher to encourage him to let me off of playing rugby and football: “I’m an accident waiting to happen and you really don’t need the hassle or the paperwork, I’ll play badminton instead”.
The trek was worth it. 30 minutes later I was laughing and tearing up. The play is incredibly emotive, and the characters beautifully written. The entire piece takes place on one set, so it’s very much reliant of the depths and the dynamics of the characters and the quality of the acting.
Impressively, out of four gay characters being portrayed in the play (two of whom made out frequently), none of the actors are gay. Ian Higham, the gorgeous Director comments: “this is not a ‘gay play’. This is a play where most of the characters just happen to be gay and, in a typically lovely touch, includes a ‘token straight’.”
Nick Thomas gave a legendary performance as cute, naïve, virgin librarian Luke, with a comedic issue with opening doors. Joe Bradley played Danny, the HIV positive coach, scared to let people in (he was also, arguably, the hottie of the play). That is not to take anything away from the other cast members. Zoë Thomas-Webb played the feisty Viv; Aidan Kershaw played endearing Joe; and Ben Graton played cheeky, comical Beardy Geoff, who got to deliver the ingenious line “I’ve already had my shower this week!”
I have to agree with Mr. Higham’s closing notes in the programme about the play’s characters: “you may only spend 90 minutes in their company but they will stay with you long after the lights have gone down”. Unfortunately the show only had a short run – 22nd to 26th September 2015. But hopefully it will get a well-deserved revival.
