Gritty new Scots comedy tackles themes of alcoholism and is truly a step above

The Fifth Step, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow August 28 2024 reviewed by the Daily Record's Vivienne Aitken

A two hander set around the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous may not seem like a setting for comedy but this David Ireland offering is exactly that - and much more.

The opening scene is placed at an AA meeting with jittery, young Luka searching for a sponsor to get him away from the demon drink.

Step forward James, an older recovering alcoholic, who takes the younger, troubled man under his wing to show him the ropes of the 12-steps programme which, for the duration of this piece, centres around step five - a confession/making amends type phase.

But it transpires that the mentor has far more to unburden himself with than Luka.

The exceptionally talented Jack Lowden is Luka and gets all the nuances of an alcoholic down to a tee. From the shaking legs to the angry-at-the-world demeanour he absolutely nails it.

And he is helped by David Ireland’s insightful writing.

Alcoholics tend to have addictive personalities and when drink is removed they latch on to other forms of addiction.

Luka’s journey takes him through excessive amounts of porn before he finds religion - another common path for alcoholics.

But the while the play is centred around alcoholism it is only a minor theme of the work which deals more with hypocrisy, male relationships, sexuality and even the very existence of God - is he indeed an empty coffee up?

James, although avuncular in the early scenes, becomes more aggressive and almost envious of his young charge’s recovery, twisting the rules to suit his own agenda.

And Sean Gilder manages to make the perfect transition in character. He gets the balance just right as he switches from mentor to aggressor without succumbing to the temptation to go in all guns blazing.

It really is an exceptionally beautiful demonstration of acting talent from both men.

The writing itself is clever and uproariously funny albeit gritty and probably downright offensive to some. But there is a refreshing honesty about it.

Some of the weird roads Ireland takes us down, however, leave you wondering if they were really worth the effort, the giant bunny a case in point.

As the plot unfolds there are moments of sharp intakes of breath as the audience collectively senses what is coming only to find out they are completely wrong. Genius.

The whole show comprises six scenes with a constantly revolving stage. And credit must go to the backstage crew who silently and speedily changed the set during the turns to show time passing as the play progressed.

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We have become accustomed to the National Theatre of Scotland providing real works of art and this is no exception.

Fresh from the Fringe, this show has a limited run in Glasgow and tickets are selling out fast. Get one before it’s too late.

•Runs until Saturday, August 31.

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