The Royal Court stage has seen numerous plays based around footballing themes, and tries to steer a course that offers something for everyone, whether they’re red or blue. With The Derby Days, the company enters the rocky territory of mixed allegiances, taking us into a household obsessed with football but steeped in both colours.
Unlike the muddy purple amalgam of the city council’s wheelie bins, Ian Salmon’s new comedy keeps the colours as separate as a clever modern detergent. Although inspired by living in a household with similarly divided loyalties, Salmon reassures us that this is where the similarity ends between his own experience and that of his creations, Dave Derby and Debbie Day.
The Derby-Day’s home is like the city in microcosm, and while there is rivalry (especially on an actual Derby Day) it is friendly and fuelled by genuinely affectionate banter. Whilst usually unspoken, there is a sometimes grudging but always sincere mutual respect between the two sides, and when the chips are down, and at times when the football community as a whole is under threat, there is a coming together and unity of purpose.
The equilibrium is about to be upset though, as the couple’s daughter Chloe and her boyfriend Marc arrive for a visit, and prepare to share some big news that they hope will bring joy to the family. When Marc lets slip that he is a Mancunian all hell breaks loose, and the complex web of deceptions that Chloe and her parents have shared all her life come flooding out.
Obviously this offers plenty of scope for side-splitting comedy moments, and Salmon takes every opportunity to find the humour in the most awkward of situations. Those familiar with his previous writing, however, will know that he likes to work with layers of texture and emotion, and the high comedy of the situation is tempered with real heart. This is really clever stuff, and although they are tearing strips off each other we cannot help but warm to Dave and Debbie, whose love for each other and their daughter is every bit as strong as their passion for their teams. For comedy to work well, the audience needs to care about the characters, and here we really do.
Dominic Carter and Sarah White go full throttle when the tempers flare up, and it is, as Chloe observes, like watching a pair of big kids sniping at each other, but they are just as convincing as long-time sweethearts too, and we are all rooting for reconciliation.
Ellie Clayton splendidly captures the sensible daughter who turns out to be more grownup than her parents, and watching Chloe I’m sure that there will be plenty of viewers who recognise the feeling of despair as she sees two of her favourite people at war with each other. The fact that Marc’s name is spelled with a ‘C’ is a subtle hint at his character, and Elliott Kingsley is equally subtle in his delivery. Marc may appear at first glance to be from a slightly more well-to-do background than Chloe, but he is proud to assert working class roots. More importantly, despite at first seeming nonplussed by the domestic situation, he has his head screwed on and his feet on the ground, and is able to pour oil on the troubled waters that he and Chloe have unwittingly stirred up.
Director Nicole Behan (who was AD on Red or Dead here earlier in the year) mines Salmon’s excellent text for all its subtlety, and we are treated to a rollercoaster that sweeps us swiftly between high comedy and warm family drama.
Alfie Haywood’s colourful set is cleverly animated by Jamie Jenkin’s seamlessly integrated video design, allowing for rapid flashbacks and scene transitions, and everything is lit in a wash of primary colours by Ian Scott.
Rarely has a metaphor for a community divided and bound together by a shared passion been quite this funny, and equally rarely is comedy quite this heartfelt.
The Derby Days is at Liverpool’s Royal Court until 18th October.
Star Rating 4 stars
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| Sarah White, Elliott Kingsley, Ellie Clayton & Dominic Carter - Photo by Andrew AB Photography |
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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