Martin Freeman in rehearsals for The Fifth Step. Photo by Johan Persson Here, at the beautiful @sohoplace Theatre on a spartan stage where the most notable item is a small table and half a dozen fold-away chairs — the sort you’d find at any church social or support meeting — we’re thrust into the middle of a conversation between two men. Luka (Jack Lowden) the younger of the two, is the one with the aforementioned problems, while the other, older and wiser James (Martin Freeman) is the reformed drunk who surreptitiously encourages Luka to adopt him as his sponsor on the road to sobriety (The Fifth Step references the twelve step Alcoholics Anonymous programme).
What begins as an awkward, nervous encounter during which barriers are gradually lowered, builds into an altogether deeper understanding of each man’s motivation and approach to getting well. It is here that Ireland’s actor roots pay multiple dividends, as onion-like, he peels and reveals the hidden layers of both characters. Most notable is the earnestness with which James asserts that Luka can trust him implicitly and tell him anything. Honesty and openness are the bywords to ensuring that the steps to recovery work, but as Ireland’s dialogue continues, it becomes more and more apparent which of these men is the more damaged, the more susceptible to self delusion, and the more suspicious of life and anything genuine or kind. It’s a harsh and unsettling lesson to endure as a member of the audience, but thankfully, the playwright leads us gently (albeit by the throat) to a place of realisation. At a key point we think we’ve been signposted an obvious conclusion, only to have it swept away in a righteous display of searing generosity from an unlikely source. It proves a classic and classy upending.
Finn den Hertog directs the actors with a brutal comedic honesty. In doing so, he exposes human fragility and the susceptibility we all have to second-guessing ourselves. It is the lack of trust in our own judgement which so often undermines good work in developing connections. Here, the two men challenge, goad and even attack each other in a bid to reach the truth of their respective situations, and it is a privilege to watch two such accomplished actors deliver the goods in such an unfettered and exposed environment.
The phrase funny, raw and visceral, has rarely been more apt. THE FIFTH STEP runs at @sohoplace until 26th July.
