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Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Fifth Step review — Jack Lowden is staggeringly good
Less is definitely more. When I saw this David Ireland two-hander at the Edinburgh International Festival last summer, I couldn't help feeling that Ireland, a writer who loves shock tactics — think how Ulster American, which was revived in London not so long ago with Woody Harrelson, ends in a bloodbath — had thrown in too many extraneous elements. The revised version at London's Sohoplace is leaner and all the more compelling. It certainly helps that the director, Finn den Hertog, an associate artist at the National Theatre of Scotland, gets such intense performances out of the Slow Horses star Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman (replacing Sean Gilder, who was equally impressive in Edinburgh). Lowden is staggeringly good as a young loner, Luka, all jitters and tics and swear words, who is trying to pull himself out of an alcoholic spiral. Freeman impresses too as James, the adviser who is trying to help his protégé through the 12-step programme to sobriety. What emerges is no conventional tale of overcoming adversity but a morally ambiguous account of shifting power dynamics. When the two men begin their casual conversations, armed with cups of coffee, it seems that James is firmly fixed in the role of the rational older protector who fought his own demons long ago. We get the impression that Luka, who longs to have a woman in his life, could well be swapping booze for a kind of religious mania. In his programme notes, Ireland explains that he went to Alcoholics Anonymous in his twenties. And after years of considering himself an atheist, he had a religious reawakening during lockdown. It's fitting that the play opens with a spartan recording of a heart-on-sleeve ballad by Johnny Cash, an artist who had his own battles with faith. Lowden presents us with a man whose mind is running at speed but going nowhere, like a car stuck in neutral. Freeman takes on the challenge of digging into an apparently unflappable character who only slowly reveals his inner thoughts. • Read more theatre reviews, guides and interviews By the end, we're much less sure that James has the upper hand. Luka confronts his sense of shame, sometimes in comically brutish language (his definition of marriage is having 'pussy on tap'). What we see of James's inner life begins to seem less serene than we first thought. Ireland conveys all this through memorably jagged exchanges bathed in redeeming black humour. The Edinburgh production featured an elaborate revolving set. Things are much simpler at the in-the-round Sohoplace: the two actors roam a space littered with only a handful of chairs and a small table. Ireland has also jettisoned a climactic scene in which James ends up in hospital. The result is simpler yet freighted with a greater sense of unease. Things are left unsaid, and that, paradoxically, gives us more to ponder.★★★★☆90minTo Jul 26, Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Fifth Step: Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman are an irresistible double act
The bold-minded Belfast-born playwright David Ireland has a rare ability to attract top-flight actors for his darkly comic, often taboo-testing work, with unhinged male psyches his forte. In his breakthrough, Cyprus Avenue, Stephen Rea played a Belfast loyalist convinced his baby grand-daughter has the face of Gerry Adams. And late in 2023, Woody Harrelson starred in Ulster American as a Hibernophile Hollywood A-lister aghast to realise he has signed up to play a Protestant Unionist on stage. With The Fifth Step, David Ireland has finally arrived in the West End attended by the kind of dream cast that has fans snapping up tickets with barely a thought for the show's content. After an Edinburgh Festival premiere last year, Slow Horses star Jack Lowden is joined for the London run by Martin Freeman, everyone's favourite Hobbit, for a dive into the step-programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, in which two men – one battling the bottle, the other his (older) sponsor – share the challenge of recovery. I'd love to salute this as the writer's deserved hour of triumph, not least because this piece transmutes his painful experience into the stuff of accessible entertainment. The author attended AA when he was in his twenties and like Lowden's lost soul, who grabs our attention at the start by opening up to Freeman's James about his lack of luck with women, and addiction to porn, he has said he struggled with dating then. Like Luka, too, who surreally claims to have encountered Jesus in the guise of Willem Dafoe on a gym treadmill, he had a religious epiphany that saved him. Yet despite bubbling with hard-won authenticity and again displaying Ireland's flair for nifty, surprising dialogue, the short evening (80 minutes, directed by Finn den Hertog) winds up seeming curiously flat. At Edinburgh some complained about a rushed denouement but the amended, putatively adrenal resolution here feels no less abrupt, while generating a diminished provocative charge – attention is tilted from the damage perpetuated by Luka to the demons of paranoia and jealousy suffered by James. Interesting conversational skirmishes about the saving power of faith, and the surrogate spirituality of AA, take a back-seat to bickering about who said what. At its best, we're shown two fallible blokes striving to trust each other within a frame-work designed to help the vulnerable that still runs the risk of abusive power-play. But as a drama it finally lacks the requisite emotional punch to the guts. The big saving grace is the makeshift double-act itself; both men winningly rising to the challenge of the ringside space's gladiatorial intimacy. Freeman's eyebrows work expressively overtime in polite quizzicality, repressed concern and growing shiftiness. Compared to this middle-aged, uptight, sexlessly married guardian-figure, Lowden captivates with his edgy physicality and a Scottish accent redolent of hard-living; he welds child-like cluelessness with a steely tenacity. To be 'glass half full' about it, their presence and gear-switches are an irresistible theatrical proposition. But the play itself remains a step-change short of a knock-out July 26; Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Fifth Step: What to know about this must-see new thriller and how to find tickets
What is The Fifth Step about? The latest audacious pitch-black comedy from provocative playwright David Ireland centres on the relationship between a struggling young alcoholic, Luka, and his mentor in the Alcoholics Anonymous programme, James. The latter insists that there can be no secrets between them. However, when they reach the fifth step of the 12-step programme, which involves confessing and acknowledging past sins, this two-hander becomes a razor-sharp power struggle. Everything from a crisis of sexuality to a battle over faith is on the table as the tension ratchets up, leavened by jaw-dropping moments like Luka admitting to masturbating 20 times a day. Ireland is an expert at balancing shock factor with moving character studies, political and social commentary with compellingly plotted theatre packed full of twists and turns. His previous successes include Ulster American and Cyprus Avenue, and The Fifth Step was extremely well received when it premiered in Edinburgh in 2024. Now the show comes to London's hottest new West End venue, @sohoplace. The intimate house puts the audience close to the action, which is perfect for this face-off between two men, played by Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) and Martin Freeman (The Office). It promises to be a battle for the ages. How to buy tickets for The Fifth Step You can find seats for the London production of The Fifth Step on Telegraph Tickets. Check the site for the latest prices. The cast Jack Lowden reprises the lead role of alcoholic Luka, having previously played the part during The Fifth Step 's acclaimed premiere in 2024. The Scottish actor is best known for playing hapless agent River Cartwright in the hit Apple TV+ spy thriller Slow Horses alongside Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Lowden has also appeared in films such as Dunkirk and Mary Queen of Scots, as well as theatre productions including Black Watch, Chariots of Fire and Ghosts. He is joined in the West End run by Martin Freeman, whose numerous credits range from movies like Love Actually and The Hobbit to TV series including The Office and Sherlock, plus theatre comedy Labour of Love. The Fifth Step is directed by Finn Den Hertog. This impressive artist worked as an actor on shows like Outlander and Shetland, and he has directed productions like Men in Blue at the Young Vic. The details Where is The Fifth Step playing? The Fifth Step runs at @sohoplace on Charing Cross Road next to Tottenham Court Road Station, which is close to Oxford Street, Soho, and more theatres in London's West End. What is the running time of The Fifth Step? The running time of The Fifth Step is 1 hour and 30 minutes with no interval. How long is The Fifth Step running for? The Fifth Step is booking until July 26, 2025. What is the minimum age for The Fifth Step? The age recommendation for The Fifth Step is 16+. Does The Fifth Step have accessible tickets? Yes, the show has captioned BSL and audio-described performances scheduled. You can find more information on the theatre website. The review 'David Ireland is a theatrical master craftsman… His captivating characterisations are given tremendous depth by the performances.' Read the full Telegraph review. FAQs Who is Jack Lowden? Jack Lowden is a Scottish actor and a rising star. He came to international attention in Slow Horses, for which he received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and he won an Olivier Award for Ghosts at the Almeida Theatre. He is married to fellow actor Saoirse Ronan. Buy tickets now The Fifth Step
