England soccer team drama at London’s National Theatre

By The Associated Press

Often surrounded by drama, England’s soccer team is being turned into an actual show. London’s National Theatre said Tuesday that Joseph Fiennes will star as manager Gareth Southgate in “Dear England.” The new play by James Graham asks the question: Why can’t England’s men win at their own game? Graham says: “What Gareth Southgate has attempted in his quiet cultural reform of England football I find epic and deeply moving.” Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold will direct the show, which starts previews in the Olivier Theatre on June 10 and is scheduled to run through Aug. 11.