"We Love You City" at the Belgrade Theatre

[dutchman]

There is not much for Sky Blues fans to shout about following the club's tragic decline back into the third tier of English football.


The cast look on nervously as the audience are taken back in time to experience the emotions of the 1987 FA Cup final.

But one team who are guaranteed to make you stand up and be proud to support this city are the wonderful cast behind the re-launched We Love You City production at the Belgrade Theatre.

And as far as the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the famous 1987 FA Cup victory over Spurs go, they don't come much better than this.

The play tells the true underdog story of how John Sillett's team overcame all the odds to lift the famous trophy, but there are plenty of sub stories from supporters that day which keep the audience glued to the action.

Eleven players cemented themselves into the history books when they took to the pitch at Wembley on May 16, 1987, but there were hundreds of thousands of Sky Blues supporters who had their own stories to tell.

And those life-changing stories have been recreated beautifully by the 11 cast members alongside events on the pitch to rekindle memories and provide an insight to those that were not here for the club's finest hour.

There were journeys to Wembley which took a dramatic twist, a couple whose relationship is reformed at the final whistle and a charming tale of three lads of different races having to deal with day-to-day issues, when all they want to do is watch their team down the pub.

A tale that stood out was the connection between two brothers.

Reggy had dedicated all of his passion in life towards the Sky Blues but Carl saw the cup final appearance as a way to make a quick buck.

The pair inevitably clash and Carl ends up on a life support machine at Walsgrave Hospital as extra-time at Wembley gets under way.

Writer Nick Walker has attempted to show key moments from the match alongside key moments from the lives of the characters, and this is just one of many perfect examples of this throughout the play.

Supporters are also taken back in time to several key historical moments in the club's history, dating back to the introduction of Singers FC in 1883 to the Jimmy Hill era 70 years later, which offers the younger generation a humorous insight into the club's past.

So while Sky Blues supporters continue to reflect on League One football next season, take a well deserved break down memory lane and I guarantee you will come out of the other end smiling, at least until reality comes back into play.

We Love You City continues until May 26 and tickets (priced from £15.25-£28.75) are available from the box office by phoning 02476 553 055 or by visiting http://www.belgrade.co.uk/event/we-love-you-city