Looking to explore the complexities of male relationships, intimacy, and belief systems, David Ireland’s latest collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland, The Fifth Step, is an attempt by the celebrated writer to ratify his own sobriety and faith. The result is a well-acted but ultimately muddled endeavour that lacks that nuance it craves. 

In Alcoholic Anonymous’ 12 Step Program, the fifth step involves “Admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs”. So it is that Luka (Jack Lowden), recently enrolled in AA, meets the more experienced James (Sean Gilder). Looking to James for advice and support, Luka asks him to be his sponsor. What unfolds is a series of meetings that force both men to reckon with their past transgressions.

Both Lowden and Gilder deliver strong performances in their respective roles for the most part. Glider brings James’ sinister and controlling side to bear well while Lowden brilliantly realises Luka’s early fear and anxieties. Both inject the dark humour of the piece with aplomb but it’s sadly here where The Fifth Step truly falters. 

Comedies must still balance their levity with the weight of their subject matter, something that this play fails to do. Whatever gravitas is built is undercut by an overreliance on humour. This is a recurrent issue, but the fact that the final line is treated humorously is a disservice to the weight of the ending. You can’t help but wonder if the comedy itself is simply added to mask an otherwise dry and shallow script. 

Elements are introduced only for them to be abandoned by the next scene – like James appearing in a Donnie Darko-esque rabbit suit. Alternatively, they go without mention for the greatest time before becoming integral in the finale, a result of trying to tackle too many themes within the 90 minute runtime. 

Aside from a number of awkward or cringe-inducing lines, there’s a lack of nuance in Ireland’s writing. The Fifth Step starts well as it questions male relationships and our concept of masculinity, but it swiftly stumbles into stereotypes that end up reinforcing them. This is especially evident in its approach to sexuality. 

While there’s scope to explore the inherent fear men have about being perceived as gay, or the hypocrisy of those who claim to be ok with homosexuality so long as it doesn’t directly affect them, the play never fully explores the crux of the issue. Instead, perhaps due to approaching the subjects with such levity, it simply accepts them as an inevitable part of masculinity. Worse still, the fact that so much is treated with humour makes it impossible to fully buy into the seriousness of the issues.

There are glimmers of hope in The Fifth Step, as director Finn den Hertog offers some interesting staging and makes good use of the Lyceum’s rotating stage. In one scene transition, Luka becomes self-aware of the stage’s fake walls and proceeds to dismantle them, a metaphor for escaping the AA’s rigidity. 

Indeed, the production’s refusal to treat the quest for sobriety with kid gloves, addressing the criticisms that come with such organisations and the potential for abuse within them, should be applauded. Unfortunately, it either approaches these themese so lightly or with such levity means that it’s held back from achieving its ambitious aims.