Latest news with #TheFifthStep
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Vogue
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Dispatch From London: Jack Lowden Is a Force in Soho Place's Compelling The Fifth Step
When I arrived in England years ago for my studies, I was fairly shocked at my new classmates' drinking. That's not just because most American undergraduates are legally prohibited from purchasing alcohol until their final year (though the underage find plenty of ways to get drunk too); in Britain I observed a rampant societal blessing to get pissed—from the one-pound-pint specials at the pub to ladies-drink-free nights—that goes much further than in the US. The drinking culture was no less notable before a recent long weekend in London, from the canned gin and tonics at the lunchtime food truck and the crowds spilling into the street outside pubs at 4:30 p.m., to the clutched White Claws on the tube at 6:30 p.m. and the men in suits staggering around the West End. That evening I caught the sold-out new play (and one of the hottest tickets in town) The Fifth Step, about the fragile, fractious friendship between a young man beginning an Alcoholics Anonymous program and his elder, seemingly wiser sponsor. The title refers to the part of the 12-step program known as the confession, during which members are encouraged to acknowledge 'to God, to oneself, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.' Yet alcoholism is merely its ostensible topic; the show is broadly about faith and appetites, holy and otherwise, and how those intersect with power, whether in a pub, bedroom, or church. Written by David Ireland and directed by Finn den Hertog, The Fifth Step opened in the West End earlier this month after an acclaimed sold-out run in Edinburgh, with Olivier Award–winner Jack Lowden reprising his role as Luka and now joined by Emmy, BAFTA, and SAG Award winner Martin Freeman as James. It's a tight 90-minute tête-a-tête set in the round at the plush, newish Soho Place theater, the stage a circle of trust that eventually deteriorates into a literal boxing ring with seesawing power dynamics. Propulsive with chuckles initially and later gasps, it also tackles the oft-fretted-about contemporary crisis of masculinity, particularly in Britain. After all, as James points out clearly and plainly (as most things are conveyed in this play), 'The culture we live in, drinking's associated with masculinity. You go to Paris and Brazil, no one gives a fuck if you're drinking a chamomile tea.' (Another example: 'I get the impression, Luka, that every man who's ever been in your life has betrayed you. So you have difficulty trusting men. Older men.')
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Fifth Step review – Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman go head to head
Jack Lowden wasn't away from the stage for as long as his Slow Horses co-star Gary Oldman but it's still a thrill to find him returning to theatre. Seen at the Edinburgh international festival last summer, The Fifth Step – his first play since 2018 – gives him a character both volatile and vulnerable in a two-hander bristling with playwright David Ireland's signature style of knotty provocation and ribald comedy. Lowden resumes the role of Luka, now playing opposite Martin Freeman as James (a part originated in Scotland by Sean Gilder). Luka is new to Alcoholics Anonymous and asks the older James to be his sponsor; the drama unfolds on the verge of the confessional stage in AA's 12-step programme, with Luka expected to acknowledge the harm his addiction has done to himself and others. The play is perceptive about what it means to put your trust not just in another person but also in a programme or organised religion – and how to reconcile what you gain from the exchange with any flaws or failings of that body. Ireland pulls off a tone that is sceptical yet earnest, echoing the sincerity and hangdog humour of the opening song, I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday), by Johnny Cash, who knew a thing or two about addiction. That song is warped in the first of several scene transitions, coolly lit by Lizzie Powell, that add off-kilter energy to an in-the-round, interval-free production, stretched as tight as a drum by director Finn den Hertog. The humour ricochets as it did in den Hertog's Square Go, which tussled with younger masculinity, and there is a brilliantly handled apparition of Willem Dafoe as Jesus in a gym (almost Christ on a bike) that recalls the vision of Gerry Adams in infant form in Ireland's unforgettable Cyprus Avenue. Designer Milla Clarke dresses Luka in hoodie and trainers, James in smart shirt and suede shoes; the younger man is all restless legs and twitching fingers, his sponsor composed and watchful. As ever, Freeman is a master of the perplexed reaction, especially in James's multi-levelled incredulity at the suggestion that, as a married man, he has 'pussy on tap'. When Luka is advised to abstain from his gargantuan appetite for masturbation, Lowden matches Freeman in comic disbelief – his eyes widen in horror at the proposal. The timing is impeccable throughout but as the tables are turned, and James's behaviour is scrutinised, both give unsettling performances in a drama that specifically interrogates the role of a sponsor yet applies to multiple positions of authority and influence, including parenthood and priesthood. What appears at first to be a predictable plot twist, foreshadowed by a choice bit of dialogue from Raging Bull, swerves into something more psychologically interesting. The anonymous meeting-room set gives no place to hide as the pair, together on stage throughout, go toe to toe. If the violence that eventually erupts is undercharged, the notes of absurdity are perfectly measured and it ends not with a bang but whimsy. What power do you give another when you put your faith in them? What standards do you hold them to when you seek advice? When does care turn into control? As the questions proliferate and the pair argue over setting boundaries, Ireland continually blurs them in a play that regularly elicits winces. 'Those that are crying will later be laughing,' paraphrases James from the Bible. The reverse is perhaps true for this troubling take on feeling lost and the thorny question of redemption. At @sohoplace, London, until 26 July
Time Out
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Fifth Step
Playwright David Ireland has made a career out of saying the unsayable, which has in the past meant gags about rape, race and other such wearyingly 'provocative' transgressions. With The Fifth Step he's taken it further yet: he's written a play about how awesome God is. That's a slightly glib summary. But in the programme Ireland explains how he found Jesus in 2020, and it does a lot to explain where the play's coming from. The Fifth Step is about two men in Alcoholics Anonymous – which Ireland was a member of in the past – but the play is not really about the instition as a whole. Rather, it's AA's ambiguous spiritual dimension that holds the most interest to the playwright. With a big scruffy beard and his natural Scottish accent front and centre, Jack Lowden looks and sounds a world away from his breakthrough role in Slow Horses. He plays young Glaswegian Luka, an inarticulate, twitchy mess of a man; an alcoholic who suffered a terribly abusive upbringing and is desperately lonely to boot. His very first words in the play are 'I think I might be an incel'. He's addressing Martin Freeman's James, an AA old-timer who exudes a sort of seen-it-all serenity and is clearly angling for Luka to appoint him as his sponsor – something Luka duly does. The men get on well enough so long as James remains in the driving seat. But then something odd happens: the programme really starts working for Luka. Or it starts working in unexpected ways. James – who is staunchly atheist – tries to explain that accepting a higher power doesn't mean anything so literal as becoming a Christian. Shortly thereafter Luka comes to believe he's met Jesus down the gym. He finds God (literally). James is annoyed, in part because he's been relieved from his duties as the higher power in this relationship. It's a strange play: if Ireland has reined in the bad taste stuff, he remains a swearword-heavy comic writer with a specialty in bruising one-liners. But he never commits to a tone: a scene in which Luka hallucinates that James has bunny ears is quite funny but the cartoonish questioning of his sanity needlessly muddies what his whole deal is. In general, Finn den Herzog's minimalist production is tentative about grabbing the material by the scruff of the neck. The fact the play is specifically set in Glasgow gets drowned out and feels like it's more a nod to Lowden's accent more than anything reflected in Milla Clarke's sterile set. But there are fine performances from Lowden – an engaging move from chronic shyness to rapturous assertiveness – and Freeman, superbly slippery and self-absorbed as James. However, I struggled with the actual point of James's trajectory: as the play wears on he becomes less and less likeable and more and more angry. The character is condescending and hypocritical, but doesn't actually seem that bad. It's impossible to take anything like the joy in James being found out that Ireland presumably does – it feels like the playwright has a personal grudge against his own creation that he never really explains to us. Which leaves us with Jesus: the real point of the play would seem to come down to the difference between the two men spiritually. Luka is open to God; James is not. Indeed, while the fifth step – in which Luka must list the people he's holding resentments towards – gives the play its name, the crux of the matter would seem to be the third step, turning your life over to a higher power as you understand it. Ireland isn't evangelising: Luka is a pretty daft character in his way, and you could even argue he's intended as a satire on people who go OTT after finding religion. But he's a nice guy and James is not. The inference is that James's spiritual deadness might be the reason. It's uneven and didactic. Dialling down the outrage exposes the fact Ireland's not exactly a man who writes deeply nuanced chracters. But it's also funny, weird, well acted and provocative in a much more profound way than the nihilistic button pressing of old. And if Ireland has mellowed, it's only so far – the intrinsically caustic nature of his writing has allowed him to write a play about the human yearning for spirituality that isn't unbearably cringe.
The National
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Jack Lowden vows to break barriers with ginger Mr Darcy role
The Slow Horses star spoke to Laura Kuenssberg with Martin Freeman on Sunday ahead of the opening of a West End play the pair are starring in. The 34-year-old actor took time during the interview to discuss his new role in Netflix's upcoming six-part series based on the classic Jane Austen novel. "I quite like the idea of being a ginger Darcy," he said. "I think that is really breaking down barriers – one of the great last barriers to be broken down." READ MORE: Scottish actor hits out at Scottish Borders nursery closure plans The actor, who is married to Irish actor Saoirse Ronan, discussed the other actors who have taken on the iconic role. "I quite like the idea of me coming along and doing something else with it," he told Kuenssberg. "Or just copying one of them because some of the guys who played it are amongst the best. Matthew Macfadyen, to me, is one of the best actors on the planet. So if I just try copy him – maybe that's alright?" Matthew Macfadyen played Mr Darcy in the 2005 adaptation (Image: Copyright: � 2005 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.) Freeman interrupted: "But ginger?" Lowden responded: "But ginger, yep, change it up." Freeman and Lowden will appear in David Ireland's The Fifth Step at the Soho Place Theatre, London, from May 12. The play was also shown at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum and Glasgow's Pavilion last year. You can read our review here.
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Annoying fans follow me like they're in MI6', claims Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman said he has begun confronting fans that are tailing him while he is going about his daily life. The actor, 53, known for blockbuster film series The Hobbit and crime drama Fargo, has previously spoken about his unhappiness at the attention of of Sherlock, the BBC hit drama series. Freeman is next to star opposite Jack Lowden in The Fifth Step – a West End play about alcoholism, masculinity and faith. On Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the actor was discussing spying due to Lowden playing a disastrous MI5 agent in Apple TV series Slow Horses opposite Gary Oldman. When asked if he had ever been followed, Freeman said that 'sometimes you are tailed, I am tailed, occasionally, people follow you around, sometimes, and they think you don't know, and of course you do know'. He agreed that 'you can call them' fans and said 'it's just people who just want to follow you around'. Freeman added: '[It's] not scary, more annoying, I suppose ... it's annoying because they think you don't know they're doing it. 'And so occasionally I do just turn around and go 'look, what do you want?' And they're like, 'how did you know? [And I say] 'Like because you've been doing it for half an hour and you're not in MI6'. The actor also said he tries 'to reason with people' and explain he is 'not a prop'. In 2018, Freeman spoke about a possible fifth series of Sherlock, the show in which he played John H. Watson and said that people's expectations of the series are 'not fun any more', adding: 'It's not a thing to be enjoyed.' Lowden recalled to Laura Kuenssberg meeting a woman who told him 'Thank God you're here. I feel safer' in the airport at baggage reclaim, and he had to explain that he is not a real-life spy. He added: 'She felt safer because I was there in the baggage reclaim area. But I don't work for MI5. I'm an actor.' Freeman's comments follow Robbie Williams calling out multiple requests for selfies that cause him 'discomfort' and 'panic'. The singer, 51, who has a well-documented history of depression and other mental health issues, urged fans to give celebrities the 'dignity of their privacy, their wants, their needs' on Instagram earlier this month. Lowden also talked on the BBC show about being cast in a Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen novel Pride And Prejudice as the single and rich Mr Darcy who falls for Elizabeth Bennet, played by Emma Corrin. He joked that he quite likes 'the idea of being a ginger Darcy. I think that that's really breaking down barriers, one of the great last barriers to be broken down'. Lowden, 34, added: 'I quite like the idea of sort of me coming along and doing something else with it, or just copying one of them, because some of the guys that have played it are among some of the best. 'I mean, [Matthew Macfadyen] to me, is one of the best actors on the planet, so if I just try and copy him, maybe that's all right.'
