The young cast, led by 19-year-old Reuben Browne as team captain John, excel in the football-themed stages. Matt Cole’s choreography, transforming a cup final into an all-male ballet, is Act I’s big highlight, ably performed by an ensemble ranging in age from 15 to 21. Over 11 months this musical continued after its premiere performance in 2000 in London at the Cambridge Theatre. Director was Robert Carsen. A choreographer – Meryl Tankard. Lloyd Webber is the one who wrote the music. Libretto and lyrics were written by Ben Elton. Music admired with everything – because it is the Maestro himself, who always creates something majestic and magically beautiful. But the rest – that was done by Ben Elton – was defied mercilessly by criticism and only one person really liked the book and the words as bold and delicious. In contrast to him, the rest of the critics simply festered Ben, saying that he wrote the predictable story, not thoughtful and openly scoffed at the results of his labor. In 2009 in Winnipeg, Canada, musical, reworked, reinterpreted and re-named as The Boys in the Photograph, was played from April till September of the same year. After – it moved to Toronto, Canada. The rethought version was more vivid and life-affirming in the finale. At first sight, this brief revival as part of National Youth Music Theatre’s summer programme seems to benefit from the age of its young cast. Like the British Theatre Academy’s production of Bring It On, having a cast of actors play people their own age brings a vibrancy and vitality to this revival’s early moments, as a team of young Catholic boys (and one atheist, from a Protestant family) revel in their carefree lives as part of the local church’s football team. While the production now bears the name of the 2000 West End run, it is now substantially different in its storytelling, after a series of workshops in the late 2000s culminated in a restaged, rescripted version mounted in Canada under the title of The Boys in the Photograph. After being reunited with its original title, the musical has seen further tweaks since, as could be seen when it was revived at the Union Theatre in 2014.

As the Troubles escalate, though, so do the troubles for the musical. Elton loses his grip on the story whenever the comedy gives way to political and paramilitary subjects. Indeed, it is the young cast who save the show from falling into trite melodrama, thanks to some sterling portrayals of young people who are forced into adulthood too early. The show never made it to Broadway, but was able to get to Australia and in 2016 it is already known that in August, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts will be taken the staging of the musical, directed by Meryl Tankard, which will also be responsible for the choreography.

The Beautiful Game lyrics