A funny and unflinchingly honest drama about addiction, masculinity and faith.
Jack Lowden (Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, Benediction) and Emmy and BAFTA-winning Martin Freeman (Sherlock, The Hobbit, The Responder) star in David Ireland’s new play, a dark comedy about the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous. An honest drama that achieved critical acclaim in its original sold-out production last summer in Edinburgh. The Fifth Step is coming to @sohoplace for a West End transfer 12th May - 26th July.
Step 1: honesty.
Step 2: faith.
Step 3: surrender.
Step 4: self-examination.
After many years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James agrees to become the sponsor of newcomer Luka.
On the journey to sobriety, the pair bond over black coffee, trade stories, and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences.
On the cusp of Step 5, their conversations must turn to confessionals, with progress hinging on Luka revealing secrets that could lead back to alcohol. But it’s clear that James also has dangerous truths in his past, truths that threaten the trust on which both their recoveries depend.
Directed intimately in-the-round by Finn den Hertog, The Fifth Step is a provocative, entertaining and subversively funny new play, marking David Ireland’s playwriting return to London after the hit production of his play Ulster American at Riverside Studios in 2023. Telling a bold story with Ireland’s inimitable mixture of caustic wit and genuine empathy and starring two of the UK’s brightest acting talents, The Fifth Step is set to be an unmissable addition to the London stage this May.
Listings
The Fifth Step: 12 May - 26 July
@sohoplace, 4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road, London, W1D 3BG
Tickets: BOOK NOW
Further Information: The Fifth Step at @sohoplace