No longer booking
  • Venue @sohoplace Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 26 July 2025
  • Running time 90 minutes (no interval)
  • Age guidelines 16+

Get The Fifth Step tickets – Starring Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman

BAFTA Scotland and Olivier Award winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Apple TV) and Emmy and BAFTA award winner Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, The Office) star in The Fifth Step, a powerful new play at @sohoplace theatre in London’s West End.

Following its acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival, Jack Lowden reprises his role as Luka, while Martin Freeman takes on the role of James in David Ireland’s funny and brutally honest exploration of addiction, masculinity, and faith.

Don’t miss this strictly limited 11-week season – The Fifth Step runs from 12 May to 26 July 2025.

NOTE: This production is sold out – only returns available.

Step 1: honesty.
Step 2: faith.
Step 3: surrender.
Step 4: self-examination.

After many years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James agrees to become the sponsor of newcomer Luka.

On the journey to sobriety, the pair bond over black coffee, trade stories, and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences.

On the cusp of Step 5, their conversations must turn to confessionals, with progress hinging on Luka revealing secrets that could lead back to alcohol. But it’s clear that James also has dangerous truths in his past, truths that threaten the trust on which both their recoveries depend.

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Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details

Stars and Creatives

Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman
Jack Lowden
Jack Lowden

Who is in the cast of The Fifth Step?

Starring Jack Lowden as Luka and Martin Freeman as James.

Who are the creative team of The Fifth Step?

Written by David Ireland.

Directed by Finn den Hertog with Set and Costume Design by Milla Clarke, Lighting Design by Lizzie Powell, Sound Design by Mark Melville, Movement by Jenny Ogilvie and Casting by Stuart Burt CDG.

The Fifth Step is produced by Neal Street Productions, Playful Productions and National Theatre of Scotland in association with Nica Burns.

Important Notes

Content warning: Contains strong language, comments on religion and sexual themes.

Venue Information

@sohoplace Theatre , 4 Soho Place, London, W1D 3BG

Nearest Tube or Train: Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square

Nearest Buses: 1, N1, N171, 14, 176, 8, 98

Directions

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Critics' reviews of The Fifth Step

★★★★★ "Lowden gives us an absolutely top-of-the-range performance" - Daily Mail

★★★★ "David Ireland’s knotty, often hilarious two-hander" - The Guardian

★★★★ "Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman have terrific chemistry in this slippery comedy" - Evening Standard

★★★★ "Lowden and Freeman are superb, matching each other step for step." - Financial Times

★★★★ "Jack Lowden is staggeringly good" - The Times

★★★★ "A play that teeters between comedy and dark horror" - What's On Stage

Also see: The Fifth Step Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

The Fifth Step is playing at the @sohoplace Theatre in London
The running time of The Fifth Step is 90 minutes (no interval)
The age recommendations for The Fifth Step are: 16+
Yes, The Fifth Step has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday
No, sorry, The Fifth Step has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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