The audience laughs, albeit not with complete ease, as these words open The Fifth Step, the new play from Ulster American writer David Ireland, which lands in the West End after first premiering at last year’s Edinburgh International Festival. It’s an apt introduction to a darkly humorous, dynamic evening of theatre.
Come for a dark comedy about addiction, stay for Lowden’s star quality (Photo: Johan Persson)
Over 90 minutes, we see the men grapple with the titular fifth step of the AA programme, where members must admit their wrongdoings. It puts Dave in the position of power – if Luka wants to get better, he must tell him all of his sins, as if in a church confessional. But Dave harbours dangerous secrets too, which threatens the trust that must grow between them. A subtle yet complex cat-and-mouse game plays out where nothing is off the conversational table: sex, violence, even religion.
Luka is a far more interesting creation. From his first entrance, Lowden imbues this troubled man with a frantic physicality that constantly draws the eye. When the men’s conversation turns explosive, and Luka lashes out and spits and throws chairs, it feels thrillingly inevitable – the culmination of something bubbling beneath the twitching surface.
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Many of the laughs stem from his literal way of thinking and failure to understand Dave’s metaphors – when Dave brands him “poorly educated” and Luka doesn’t even bother to argue against this, it’s hard not to root for this puppy-doggish man.
And while the play’s themes of masculinity and religion are obviously hot-button issues, it replaces actual insight with a vaguely nihilistic shrug implying that everything and everyone is bad.
But Lowden’s performance keeps you enthralled. Come for a dark comedy about addiction, stay for Lowden’s star quality.
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