Set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, The Beautiful Game follows the fortunes of a group of teenagers, all members of a local Catholic football team, and their friends. In the first half , the football team has a triumphant season against the ever-advancing shadows of the Belfast riots. As the team progresses, so do their love lives. But by the second half, their lives are starting to fall apart. John, the newly married star striker, is imprisoned and turned from potential professional into a new IRA recruit. Meanwhile, his old friend Thomas becomes a manipulative Republican boss whose shady trades with the police lead to his murder. As their community is torn apart, other team members end up dead, exiled or crippled. With soaring music from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s compelling script, The Beautiful Game is a hard-hitting reminder of the struggles within Northern Ireland at the time of the exploding troubles.
The Beautiful Game guide sections
