A heartwarming, enriching capsule of Scottish women’s football. Sweet F.A gives you everything from live Scottish music to the hilarious depiction of the Scottish Football Association. Set during the first world war this performance highlights the importance of women’s roles during the war. Taking over factory jobs from men the women played their part in the war without hesitation aiding the men away fighting by making supplies such as welly boots. A female led, powerful, emotional depiction of the strength of both women and the beautiful game that is football.
1916. Women’s football is fast becoming the most popular game in the land. One Edinburgh factory team fights to play the beautiful game. A play with songs exploring the remarkable popularity of women’s football in the early 20th century. Performed on a specially built stage in the Main Stand at Tynecastle Park.
Written by Tim Barrow and Paul Beeson this script reads beautifully. Barrow and Beeson have struck a fine balance in being educational and entertaining. The writing references the men away at war, touching on huge moments in history such as the tragedy of The Battle of the Somme. Despite using men as an emotional driving force for the women, they do well to focus on the impact of the men being away at war on women rather than it become about the men themselves. The characters are all well developed and relatable. A particular point of interest in this production was the queer storyline which was so poignant, an acknowledgment and statement of the existence of the LGBTQIA+ members throughout history. As well as heartwarming storylines the comedic value of the SFA was a highlight in this script, a hilarious portrayal which brought a lot of light to the text.
Director and Dramaturg Bruce Strachan has created such a simplistic yet effective performance. The set is used in a minimalistic creative way to allow the scenes to run smoothly into each other. The simplicity of the set allows the actors to be in complete control. During the football matches when the dialogue was like commentary of a football game the team were placed in different formations – almost similar to what you’d see on whiteboards in dressing rooms. This staging created a real visual representation of the game which alongside the storytelling allowed the audience’s imagination to run wild picturing the game in action. The use of the musicians on stage felt like a real intimate contribution to the performance, this opened up the use of props as instruments. The site specific element of the play really added an extra wow factor as you felt the weight of the performance, the cold Scottish wind rippling through your hair, a familiar feeling of attending any match.
Heather Cochrane has a wonderful tone of voice and a natural storytelling ability. Cochrane was able to play to her strengths in the role she played as Helen. As Helen, Cochrane had a warming stage presence, narrating the story. She portrayed Helen as a strong woman, prepared to stand up for the women’s game, determined to make a name for women’s football once again.
Jodie Differ is a key component to the musical drive of the play. She plays both the guitar and ukulele brining a brilliant intimate, familiar folk feel to the play. The live music really elevates the performance and Jodie plays both instruments effortlessly. She also takes on some roles within the play and to not mention her fantastic characterisation would be unforgivable. A brilliant performance all round.
Nikki Auld as Mo radiated kindness and exuded a maternal nature. Her energy was fantastic throughout the play. Her smile lit up the stadium. Her naturalistic approach stood out and brought a real warmth to the character. Her portrayal was kind and heartwarming, a familiar figure that we can all attribute to someone in our lives. I’d take a bowl of Mo’s homemade soup anyday!
Heather Horsman as Lil portrayed a more modern woman for the time. Inspired by rallies and women’s rights Horsman depicted the women that we owe our right to vote to. Horsman had a youthful energy which was a fantastic character choice as she represented hope amongst the women. Her youthful approach paired with fiery determination made for a powerful depiction of these women. Horsman plays a hilarious Watt, her choice of making Watt slightly geeky and a moderator for his senior Lord Scunthorpe. The vocal inflections that Heather has used in this role make for a comedic delivery of the text.
Rachel Macpherson-Graham is full of charisma in this play. In group numbers she stands out as she is constantly giving it her all and looks like she’s having fun whilst doing so. Rachel as Reenie had a wonderful character development, which allowed her to show fantastic range. As well as showing range as Reenie – Rachel gave us a comedic masterclass as Lord Scunthorpe. Her accent and physical comedy as Scunthorpe really highlighted the heightened satire of the text.
Ria McLeod as Daisy gave a heart-wrenching performance. Daisy has a beautifully written story to follow. McLeod gives an emotionally fueled performance, her naturalism allows the audience to buy into the character. She depicts the inner struggle of Daisy with high emotional intelligence, engaging the audience. Her portrayal of one of the SFA board members allows Ria to show great physical comedy and her facial expressions are absolutely hilarious. I can’t wait to see what Ria does next.
Rachel Millar as Alice had a real revelation throughout the play. Millar did well to portray a humble and innocent Alice whilst ensuring her strength was felt by the audience. Alice is an inspiration to those around her and Millar used this as ignition to portray her fight for freedom. Her passion and fire came through in this performance and absolutely paid off. Her facial expressions and use of body language to portray context is a real skill that Rachel has a very interesting performer to observe.
Overall this performance was utterly heart warming. During the celebration of the first match the team won the sprinklers in Tynecastle were set off. I can only assume that this was just part of the general upkeep of the stadium but for me it felt like I was in exactly the right place at the right time. The performers give their all, the music is wonderful and the story inspiring. I would encourage anyone and everyone to give this show a watch. It is a must see, one of my favourite performances at this fringe.
Theatre Scotland 
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