'It was important to bring Laurie back to life and let him live again'...
As part of the 25th anniversary of its foundation to combat racism in football, Kick it Out has commissioned a new play based on the extraordinary and inspiring life of Laurie Cunningham to coincide with Black History Month UK 2019.
Respected, award winning writer Dougie Blaxland was contacted by Kick it Out to write a new piece to the mark anniversary, and decided to focus on the iconic, ex-England player.
"I actually saw Laurie in the early seventies playing for Orient, and he made my hero Bobby Moore look like a carthorse" recalls Dougie on the first time he encountered the player.
Getting The Third Degree is a powerful dramatisation of the life and times of the sublimely gifted footballer; an exciting and mercurial showman who was years ahead of his time. However, his incredible gift drew attention from the National Front and racist football hooligans.
In dramatising Laurie Cunningham's meteoric rise to stardom the play also explores how he and his fellow black players Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis (nicknamed The Three Degrees) triumphed over the racial abuse and physical threats through a potent combination of footballing brilliance, charismatic style and compelling dignity.
It charts the powerful and deeply moving story, from Laurie's rise to prominence at West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970's to his time with Real Madrid. The play also shines a light on what Laurie was like as a person...something of a renaissance man: sensitive, articulate and philosophical.
He was a poet, a painter and a celebrated dancer who would regularly arrive late for training due to his participation in dance competitions. Laurie would often use his winnings from the clubs to pay his late fees.
This unorthodox approach would have been a factor in Laurie's unique elasticity and athleticism. While other players training consisted mostly of running laps, Laurie's activity was more diverse and made him an elusive and lithe opponent. His swaggering style and dazzling skills forced favourable comparisons with the legendary Pele and, more recently, with Cristiano Ronaldo.
He became the first ever millionaire black footballer; the first player of colour to sign for the mighty Real Madrid and only the second to win a full cap for England. He inspired a whole generation of young black players to follow in his pioneering footsteps.
Dougie states the importance; "Ian Wright and John Barnes are amongst the players that point to Laurie as an inspiration". Had Laurie walked away from football, it could well have closed the door for black players for years to come. The strength and dignity of trailblazers like Laurie Cunningham has created an inspiring legacy, as Dougie points out, "When you look at the current England squad you can see that there is a change worth celebrating..."
Getting The Third Degree immerses the audience in the 1970s, mixing funk, soul and blues with football chants alongside social commentary and political speeches. It's a powerful piece of total theatre that vividly recreates a tense and troubled period in the history of football and the wider society... "While we recreate the atmosphere of the football match, it was important to bring Laurie back to life and let him live again..."
With the resurgence of racial abuse on social media, at football matches and in wider society, the play is very much on the zeitgeist... "Although Getting The Third Degree dramatises events that took place over forty years, the issues that the play raises are every bit as relevant today as they were then."
One not to miss...
Getting The Third Degree
Thursday 7th and Friday 8th November
Salford Arts Theatre £12/£10
For further details and to book tickets – click here
Words by Ian Leslie
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