The Sunderland Story: FA Cup legends urge supporters to catch second run of fan-favourite play

Word of mouth can be a powerful thing. When The Sunderland Story - a play incorporating music, comedy, and drama to relay the fabled history of the city’s beloved football club - first came to The Empire last year, nobody really knew what it was about or what to expect. By the end of its run, and after glowing reviews began to spread far and wide, the show was welcoming packed out crowds in red and white for an experience which often felt closer to an afternoon on the terraces than a night at the theatre.

Raucous, funny, and poignant throughout, The Sunderland Story sadly lowered its curtain just as many on Wearside were beginning to catch wind of it. Now, however, those unfortunate Mackems who missed it the first time around will be given another chance to watch an updated version of the production when it returns to The Empire in May of next year.

Centred around the Carter family, a clan of Sunderland devotees mourning the loss of their recently-deceased patriarch, the play, written by Nicky Allt, covers the entire breadth of the Black Cats’ existence - from their inception right the way through to the modern day - and counts some of the club’s most recognisable legends amongst its vocal advocates.

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At an event celebrating The Sunderland Story’s looming return to the stage, record appearance maker Jimmy Montgomery told The Echo: “Nobody knew what it was going to be about. We hadn’t a clue until we actually turned up on the first night, and in the end, I think we saw it four times. It’s not just about the football club - it’s about the city itself. The last two or three nights people turned up in their shirts, they had their scarves. It was everything, absolutely brilliant.”

Montgomery was also joined by fellow 1973 FA Cup champions Bobby Kerr, Micky Horswill, and Dick Malone, with the latter very much echoing his former teammate’s sentiments on the production. He added: “It was excellent. We didn’t know what it was going to be until we went, and the fans went crazy. It was very well done. There was a load of humour in it as well, which was brilliant. It was unbelievable. It’s a brilliant show, and on the last two or three nights, the word got around about how good it was, and it was jumping.”

As is the case with the city it pays tribute to, The Sunderland Story is keen to ensure that football is just one aspect of a much broader and richer bigger picture - something that Horswill believes it absolutely achieves. Delivering his own verdict on the play, he said: “When I went to see it, I was surprised at how much you learnt about Sunderland. It’s not just about the football, it’s about when they were building ships and everything too. You learn quite a lot about the town itself. The crowd get involved as well. They start singing the songs on the stage and then everybody joins in and everything. The atmosphere was great.”

And while Sunderland’s recent history is so often dominated by their last major trophy win - that lionised FA Cup triumph some 51 years ago - Montgomery is pleased that The Sunderland Story goes far beyond being yet another account that fixates on that success alone. The Wembley hero added: “The beautiful thing about it is that it’s not just about ‘73. It’s not about winning the cup - it’s about who started the club, how it evolved, who took it over, and then the Bob Murrays and all of that stuff. It takes you all the way from the very first ball that was kicked.”

The Sunderland Story will run between May 15th and May 31st 2025 at the Sunderland Empire. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased here.