A review by Anna Dodd

The refreshing and bold Kick Off is Cherish the Orange’s latest endeavour into the Bristol scene of budding theatre makers, taking place at the cosy and intimate studio in The Wardrobe Theatre. As the third in a lineup of female-centred plays written and directed by Bristol students Dulcie and Tildy, Kick Off sees the duo bring their style and flair into new realms, with a comedic ensemble piece focused on the trials and tribulations of university sport. 

We are thrown straight into action with a lively opening involving the entire cast, as a women’s football team at the University of Bristol warm up for a big game. The energy between the cast felt electric from the moment they flooded the stage, as witty retorts and inside jokes were thrown back and forth between the girls as they stretched and got in the zone. Actual gameplay on the pitch happens off stage, and we watch the events of the season unfurl entirely from the walls of the changing room they share. Adorned by posters and photobooth pictures, this becomes a sacred, homely space for the girls; a place where secrets are divulged, confrontations are dealt with, and intense, profound connections are built. 

I contemplated on the significance of this location as the centre of the piece, working as a feminist subversion of the infamous male locker room which carries cultural connotations of sexism, a space where women are objectified, and harmful views are normalized. The women’s locker room here similarly functions as a place for transparency and honesty surrounding personal or taboo subjects, however unlike the stereotypical male locker room, their discourse is empowering and open-minded. The ladies get honest about struggles they face in dating; share takes on age-gap relationships and reflect on queer experiences. Kick Off doesn’t seek to establish a single viewpoint or way to think and feel here, no character is rewarded or allowed a moral high ground for their opinions, the locker room simply becomes a safe zone for the girls to contemplate on these things freely and without shame. 

A moment where this works particularly well is when Lola (Lily Robinson) and Annie (Vèia Zanelli) come to different conclusions when Max, an offstage character, admits that he and the rest of the men’s football team watch and comment on the girls when they play. Annie is disturbed by the notion that they are being viewed and objectified in this way, whereas Lola doesn’t see the problem with some harmless banter. It’s not that one of them is right or wrong, or that there’s even a ‘correct’ answer here but Kick Off sees the importance in allowing debates such as ‘what counts as sexism? to be had between friends without tension or malice. 

The writers’ background as university students is obvious; the play brings to life many of the often unspoken dilemmas of student living: the struggle to find housemates, forcing friendships, and how the chaos of it all can push you away from people you used to be close to. The unity and solidarity between the team additionally honours the common experience of finding unique closeness and bonds in your university society, setting aside personal differences in favour of a shared goal. 

Kick Off handles the difficulties that come with an ensemble piece well, the big scenes are impressively dynamic and breezy, with fast-paced dialogue and sharp retorts delivered superbly. This is where the play shines its brightest; the characters’ use of Gen-Z lingo and fond teasing was consistently met with loud barrels of laughter from the audience. Away from the animated and lively group scenes, the rest of play mostly happens through duologues, allowing for a zoomed in look at the one-to-one relationships. This breakaway from the rowdiness and frenzy of the group allows for romances to unfurl, friendships to be pushed to their breaking point and for captain Alex (Lizzie Kilbride), to give some warm words of dating advice to fellow lesbian teammate, Orla (Mim Clements) which was one of the standout scenes for me.

Whilst the focus on these duo dynamics made for some entertaining subplots that were exciting to watch, I would have liked to have seen more of a collective sense of urgency and shared stakes between the ensemble that would have given the play a clearer beginning, middle and end. Our closing moments with Kick Off – a beautifully acted monologue by Freddie (Bea Thomas) and an emotional video montage was certainly moving, but I couldn’t help but feel as though the ending lacked a definitive conclusion and left me with some unanswered questions.

As a labour of love written, produced, and starred in by current and former Bristol students, Kick Off has a magical quality to it that can only be conjured through years of collaboration and shared experiences in student theatre. There was a heartwarming sense of real love and compassion between the characters that felt so tangible and seemed to reflect the real-life bonds between the cast too. My evening with the play was a delightful break from the stress of the working week, leaving me with a warm feeling in my chest that I was grateful to carry with me as I ambled home in the heavy winter rain. I will certainly be keeping Cherish the Orange on my radar, and I wait in anticipation to see what they achieve next.