David Ireland’s Edinburgh Fringe hit The Fifth Step transfers to London, making its debut at @sohoplace in a new version with substantial changes. Staying from its Edinburgh run is Jack Lowden with Martin Freeman joining to complete the two-hander.
The title refers to the fifth step of the 12-step programme; writing down everything which brings guilt and shame so you can tell them to a trusted friend in order to reduce the chance that these will drive you to drink. There is the usual David Ireland wit and black humour as he explores themes of addiction, masculinity, and in particular, religious faith.
The set is minimal – a blank stage with just a few chairs and a coffee point. Director Finn den Hertog has chosen to strip away all the staging from the Edinburgh run, and now, performed in the round, this production keeps the focus laser tight on the two actors – bringing their character work into sharp relief.
Luka (Lowden) is new to AA, worried about his drinking and describing himself as an incel while suggesting he might be better off dead. He links up with James (Freeman) who agrees to become his sponsor. Lowden impresses, capturing Luka feeling lost and alienated, showing his vulnerability. Freeman embodies James’s belief in working the AA programme, 25 years sober, but he is now addicted to being right. Freeman also gets to deliver many of the classic Martin Freeman moments that have become memes online – his befuddled reactions to Luka’s more outrageous comments are a joy. Both actors expertly mine Ireland’s sharp script for plenty of laughs.
Ireland’s writing keeps them far from caricature. It might be easy to label them as just the newbie and the old hand, coming together at different stages in their lives in a sponsor–sponsee setup. But as The Fifth Step unfolds and they talk and challenge each other while slowly opening up, we start to see something complex. Beneath the verbal sparring are two people wrestling with their shame, fears and addiction. We learn more about their needs, their wants – what they’re hiding from, and Ireland gives them enough space to feel fully human.
The comedy works much better than the drama, the first half running fast and funny but later a sudden change in tone from James is well acted by Freeman but feels a little out of left field and leaves earlier subtlety falling away. It’s as if the play struggles to fully reconcile its dark humour with the weightier emotional beats that it wants to explore resulting in moments that lack the solid foundations needed to really land.
It also feels like Ireland is setting out to subvert expectations of his own work – touching on some of his familiar themes: identity and masculinity with a suggestion of violence but then takes a deliberate turn. The audience, especially those familiar with his earlier work, might settle in thinking we know where this is going only to find Ireland turning elsewhere. It’s not a complete departure, but there’s a sense that he’s deliberately pulling back from the explosive and the shocking – instead leaning into something quieter, more ambiguous and deeply tied into faith. There is a piece in the programme from Ireland describing how this play came to him and how it connects, in some ways, with his life. I’d highly recommend reading it for added insight into The Fifth Step.
The Fifth Step marks a quieter turn for Ireland, trading shock for something more introspective. Anchored by two strong performances, it’s an entertaining production and thoughtful, if uneven, exploration of addiction and faith.
The Fifth Step will perform at @sohoplace until July 26th, https://sohoplace.org/shows/the-fifth-step/
Reviewer: Dave Smith
Reviewed: 17th May 2025
North West End UK Rating: