This football match started late and ran into extra time. Yes, Studs is about football and all that is imagined goes on off the pitch, but is it true to life? probably, almost certainly not, but Gordon Steel the author has seized on isolated incidents and made an entertaining play from them. Get past the swearing and you get the time honoured story of relationships.

Ronnie, played with passion and great skill by Robert Hudson, runs and plays for a Sunday League football team. Driven by the desire to win the Sunday Cup he tries to inspire his players who have relationship problems with their girlfriends. Mac wants to be known as the hard man and is played with what appears to be great insight of the part by Chris Connel. He is involved with Kylie, played with convincing accuracy by Danielle Williams, who tells everyone that she is “thick”. Juxterposed to this pair are Tommo, a less flamboyant character, nicely played by Joe Caffrey, who is managed by his “run of the mill” girlfriend Mandy who is played with enthusiastic energy by Laura Lonsdale. It is when Tommo suggests that the boys go to Scarborough for the the weekend on their own that the plot starts to develop, for the girls, not knowing where the boys are going, end up in the same resort. Plenty of sex on stage with dialogue to match drive the play along with the help of the first rate direction by Gareth Tudor Price, set against a functional set by Pip Leckenby. As always at the Hull Truck the background music from all manner of sources makes the evening go with a swing.

The audience appreciated the great acting and the theme of the play and showed their liking for what had happened on stage with loud applause when the cast took their bows at the end. This might be what you want to see on the stage or it may not, but in either case it is great theatre. © BA

“Studs” is in Hull from the 5th of September to the 28th of September, 2002.