“In The Fifth Step, award-winning playwright David Ireland returns with a bang, dissecting the sharp, layered, and witty dynamics on the road to sobriety.”
“Porn 20 times a day” shouts Luka (Jack Lowden), dressed in a tracksuit, his leg trembling. Across the stage, stands Dave, (Martin Freeman), an older man with slicked-back grey hair raising his eyebrows at the audience while challenging Luka’s need for excessive self-pleasure.
Laughter erupts from the audience as the two men continue to banter, bonding over the raw vulnerability that the route to sobriety demands. In The Fifth Step, award-winning playwright David Ireland returns with a bang, dissecting the sharp, layered, and witty dynamics on the road to sobriety. Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Mary Queen of Scots) reprises his role as Luka, a recovering alcoholic alongside household name Martin Freeman (Sherlock, The Hobbit) who plays James, Luka’s AA sponsor. What begins with a dark comedy about addiction evolves into an intricate exploration of masculinity, loneliness, and emotion dependency echoed by moments of piercing vulnerability.
Milla Clarke’s set is minimal: a small rectangle framed by two chairs, a table, and paper coffee cups, echoing the sterile spaces of an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. The stark design reflects the barren and isolated sentiment so many alcoholics experience in their journey towards sobriety. Similarly, a standout design element is Mark Meville’s sound. Each musical cue and transition carefully set the emotional tone for the scene ahead- clear and provocative.
What Ireland excels in is drawing the audience into his character’s world. Through the use of contemporary cultural references – Willem Dafoe, Kendrick Lamar – he injects humour that keeps the audience invested and entertained. The play uses humour to engage in uncomfortable topics: it explores fragile masculinity, how the fear of emotional intimacy between men is often mistaken for sexuality, and the manipulative power that a sponsor can have over a sponsee. Ireland even takes a bold risk with a controversial exchange about the objectification of women, with Luka voicing a problematic view and James counteracting it.
While the dialogue of the play began strong, Lowden and Freeman seemed more focused on their individual physical choices rather than being fully connected with each other. They understood the text technically but it felt as if they were adapting and discovering their timing alongside the audience. As the play progresses, both actors showed their excellence in listening and responding – not just to one another but to the audience who became an implicit third character.
Lowden’s twitchy physicality was an embodied and externalized portrayal of Luka’s anxiety and inner turmoil. Freeman’s strength was his seamless integration of text and physicality. His subtle shifts in posture and gesture reinforced James’ assumed status and authority as Luka’s sponsor.
Despite strong performances and solid fight choreography, the climatic physical altercation lacked emotional justification. When James lashes out-telling Luka to kill himself and hits him-it feels abrupt and bereft of enough motivation. There was an air of hesitation from the actors, not as characters, but as performers experiencing uncertainty. The chokehold that leaves James on the ground lacked conviction and did not feel fully supported by the stakes. Yet, this was skillfully counteracted by both Lowden and Freeman’s communication of the last few lines of dialogue that leaves the audience warmed.
Directed by Finn der Hertog, The Fifth Step is a powerful, thoughtful production about sobriety, redemption and emotional truth. Both Freeman and Lowden work effortlessly together asserting their talent as renowned actors. As the production continues its run, there’s no doubt the emotional stakes and character dynamics will deepen. The play invites a broader conversation about addiction, emotional repression and how often we hide behind roles- sponsor, addict, family, friend- rather than confronting who we are. It challenges systems of organized religion, and critiques the hypocrisies we all live in. If you are looking for a gripping short play with bold themes and compelling performances, don’t miss The Fifth Step.
The Fifth Step plays 20th May – 26th July at sohoplace, tickets are available here.