Last night my wife invited me out to see The Fifth Step, a Scottish stage play that has been recorded for movie goers and streamers. It stars Jack Lowden, who I know from the show Slow Horses, and Martin Freeman who’s been in a bunch of stuff. My favorite role of his is the sociopathic weakling midwestern used car dealer Lester Nygaard in the TV series Fargo.

The play is done in-the-round, meaning the audience completely surrounds the stage, which in this case is actually a square. The actors perform the entire play in a single act without any breaks. Sometimes the lights dim and they move the chairs and table around to show the scenes are changing. The result is a more three-dimensional feeling since the camera records them from all angles. When they get anxious, or angry, the camera angles and close-ups make you feel what they’re feeling.

The two characters, James (Freeman) and Luka (Lowden), are recovering alcoholics in an AA program. James is the power figure, Luka’s sponsor. He’s wise, but aloof and condescending - always questioning Luka and the decisions he’s making. Luka is more of a dimwit Scottish roughneck type.

Without giving too much away, I think the play was about questioning the right way to address human suffering. I related to James’ approach for most of the play because the advice he gave seemed like the right stuff, despite the chip on his shoulder and the know-it-all grin on his face. But as things progress, you wonder which one really has the best approach to alcoholism, or any of humanity’s problems for that matter.

This shifting of who you trust and believe in tracks with the fidgeting of Luka’s hands and his blinky pent-up energy. At the beginning it feels agitating to watch, and it’s a relief as it dissipates through the performance.

Glad my wife, Alison, asked me to join her. Definitely had a good time watching it and thinking about it afterwards.