‘The Pass’: British footballers in a cryptic heated rivalry
When I first saw the 2016 movie “The Pass,” about the smoldering, fraught relationship between two handsome, young British footballers, I couldn’t help thinking it would make an enthralling play. The bold psychodrama, starring Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene, is largely set in claustrophobic indoor settings and is divided into three sections, or acts. Turns … Read More
Mark
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When I first saw the 2016 movie “The Pass,” about the smoldering, fraught relationship between two handsome, young British footballers, I couldn’t help thinking it would make an enthralling play. The bold psychodrama, starring Russell Tovey and Arinzé Kene, is largely set in claustrophobic indoor settings and is divided into three sections, or acts.
Turns out “The Pass” is indeed based on a play, by John Donnelly, which enjoyed a successful run in London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2014. And now the piece is having a long overdue debut in the U.S., at La MaMa Off Broadway.
This scenario, as it happens, may recall a similar steamy male-on-male romance set in the sports world that has recently become a global sensation. The parallels are remarkable. Both the “Heated Rivalry” TV series (based on Rachel Reid’s books) and “The Pass” wrestle with homophobia and fame in hypermasculine pro sports.
Both trace the evolution of a dicey relationship between men over the course of roughly a decade, set in various hotel rooms. Both examine the tangled emotional attraction as well as the physical. They even feature stationary bikes. (For the record, “The Pass” was staged four years before the first novel in the “Heated Rivalry” series hit the bookstores.)
Heady material, to be sure. Yet under the direction of Max Hunter, this iteration of “The Pass” is as challenging as it is enthralling.
[caption id="attachment_64513" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
See "The Pass" at La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre through September 4.Andy Henderson[/caption]
Act One finds footballers Jason (Matisse Ratron-Neal) and Ade (Terry Bell) in a hotel room cavorting in their underwear. They are in Bulgaria for their first Champions League match, and their performance will help determine whether they remain on the team or get cut. Despite obligatory mentions of “pussy,” the young men swap scads of homoerotic jibes, asking each other to “squeeze my plums.” They wrestle around on the bed after being smeared with Nutella (long story). The air is heavy with sexual tension that threatens to burst at any moment. Could these horndogs be gay or are they just blowing off steam?
Act Two is set in another, more posh hotel room a few years later, where Jason is hosting a voluptuous female “table dancer” (Ino Badanjak) who appears hot for the football hunk. Jason has a wife and kids and is a bona fide superstar. Jason and Ade reunite in Act Three in yet another hotel room, where they rehash old gripes and attempt to make amends. Jason, now divorced, is near the end of his athletic career. Ade runs his own plumbing company and has a serious boyfriend. They invite the starstruck hotel porter (Oliver Rowland-Jones) to join the mayhem, plying him with booze and painkillers. The party quickly veers off the rails, and the room, mirroring Jason and Ade’s relationship, lies in shambles.
Many elements of “The Pass” are confusing. While the young men appear to be in their early twenties in the first act, the script reveals they are both only 17. It is unclear what years the action takes place. The script is heavily spiked with British slang and references to footballers most Americans would not know. For instance, I had to look up “in the stiffs” (playing for the reserve squad, not the main team). Apparently, “ginger” and “bender” are derogatory terms for gay men. Thick accents further make the dialogue tough to follow. Some judicious cuts would sharpen the focus and shorten the nearly two-hour, intermissionless running time.
[caption id="attachment_64514" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Matisse Ratron-Neal in "The Pass."Andy Henderson[/caption]
On the plus side, the performances are quite strong, and the chemistry between the lead actors is palpable. As Jason, the alluring Ratron-Neal reveals an unexpected layer of tenderness beneath the bravado. Also impressive is Seth Byrum’s realistic scenic design, which inventively depicts three distinct hotel rooms.
The play’s title has a clever double meaning. Not only does “The Pass” refer to a fateful maneuver on the pitch that altered the trajectory of their careers, it also refers to the possible sexual advance that has been haunting their friendship for well over a decade.
The Pass | La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre | 66 East 4th St. | $49 – $99 | 100 minutes, no intermission | Through September 4, 2026
See "The Pass" at La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre through September 4.Andy Henderson[/caption]
Act One finds footballers Jason (Matisse Ratron-Neal) and Ade (Terry Bell) in a hotel room cavorting in their underwear. They are in Bulgaria for their first Champions League match, and their performance will help determine whether they remain on the team or get cut. Despite obligatory mentions of “pussy,” the young men swap scads of homoerotic jibes, asking each other to “squeeze my plums.” They wrestle around on the bed after being smeared with Nutella (long story). The air is heavy with sexual tension that threatens to burst at any moment. Could these horndogs be gay or are they just blowing off steam?
Act Two is set in another, more posh hotel room a few years later, where Jason is hosting a voluptuous female “table dancer” (Ino Badanjak) who appears hot for the football hunk. Jason has a wife and kids and is a bona fide superstar. Jason and Ade reunite in Act Three in yet another hotel room, where they rehash old gripes and attempt to make amends. Jason, now divorced, is near the end of his athletic career. Ade runs his own plumbing company and has a serious boyfriend. They invite the starstruck hotel porter (Oliver Rowland-Jones) to join the mayhem, plying him with booze and painkillers. The party quickly veers off the rails, and the room, mirroring Jason and Ade’s relationship, lies in shambles.
Many elements of “The Pass” are confusing. While the young men appear to be in their early twenties in the first act, the script reveals they are both only 17. It is unclear what years the action takes place. The script is heavily spiked with British slang and references to footballers most Americans would not know. For instance, I had to look up “in the stiffs” (playing for the reserve squad, not the main team). Apparently, “ginger” and “bender” are derogatory terms for gay men. Thick accents further make the dialogue tough to follow. Some judicious cuts would sharpen the focus and shorten the nearly two-hour, intermissionless running time.
[caption id="attachment_64514" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Matisse Ratron-Neal in "The Pass."Andy Henderson[/caption]
On the plus side, the performances are quite strong, and the chemistry between the lead actors is palpable. As Jason, the alluring Ratron-Neal reveals an unexpected layer of tenderness beneath the bravado. Also impressive is Seth Byrum’s realistic scenic design, which inventively depicts three distinct hotel rooms.
The play’s title has a clever double meaning. Not only does “The Pass” refer to a fateful maneuver on the pitch that altered the trajectory of their careers, it also refers to the possible sexual advance that has been haunting their friendship for well over a decade.
The Pass | La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre | 66 East 4th St. | $49 – $99 | 100 minutes, no intermission | Through September 4, 2026 
