A powerful, funny and touching locker room drama, The Red Lion reaches far beyond the beautiful game to explore contrasting ideas about loyalty, ambition and what it takes to win.

Looking at the world from the perspectives of three different generations, director Max Roberts’ new version of Patrick Marber’s play, set in the dressing room of a semi-professional football club in the North East, is making a transfer to London’s Trafalgar Studios following a highly successful, sell out run, at Live Theatre in Newcastle.

Through Marber’s own personal experiences with non-league football, The Red Lion goes far beyond the pitch to look at hope, obsessions and the desperation of humanity to be a part of something.

It is a piece that resonates in contemporary society – the two older characters are conflicted representatives of a pre and post 1980s, one possessing a sensibility formulated by a before-Thatcher England, the other by its aftermath. In the middle a youngster is dealing with that fall out.

The Red Lion is brought to life by Stephen Tompkinson (Spamalot, West End; DCI Banks; Drop The Dead Donkey), John Bowler (It Just Stopped, The Orange Tree; Operation Elvis, RSC/Almeida; DCI Banks) and Dean Bone (The Terminal Velocity Of Snowflakes, Live Theatre; The Savage, Live Theatre; Vera, ITV), who will be reprising their roles from the original run.

Age Recommendation: 14+

Dramas have a rich history in the West End; find out more about plays in London.