Volunteering at the Playhouse has afforded me the chance to see a few plays I wouldn't normally have chosen for myself. Last time I was there I saw Paint it White, a piece about one man's love of Leeds United, from the 1960's to the present day, taking in all of the highs and lows and everything in between.
brilliant...
From a performance point of view, the 4 actors were very good. The youngest was particularly interesting as he was cute and had more varied parts to play, from a dim soccer fan to a camp Trisha TV alumnus. Some of it was quite funny. The trouble was...
but...
... I do not like football, and I have no interest in Leeds United. The audience, some in their football tops and clearly enjoying a rare excursion to the theatre, loved the show. Maybe if I had understood the references, the name checks and shared the experiences of following a sports team I would have had more fun. As it was I felt alienated, particularly at two borderline-homophobic comments. It was nice to see local Leeds landmarks name-checked, but that was as accessible as this got. I just couldn't understand the central character's obsession with this team or any team really. There's much more to life than football, and this guy bordered on the crazy, allowing football to ruin his relationships and dictate his working practices.
briefly...
As a football-phobic snob, I wasn't really the target audience for Paint it White, so it's unsurprising that it didn't win me over.
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