Writer: Tim Charles
Director: Matt Palliser-Kehoe
Set in an Irish pub, Tim Charles’ new show The Lads Play examines four men re-evaluating their behaviour 10 years earlier at school. Old stories are retold, and ancient arguments replayed. Confessions are made, and a terrible secret is revealed. If the material isn’t exactly new, The Lads Play feels satisfyingly authentic.
They have gathered in the upstairs room to mourn the death of Martin’s brother on the day of the funeral. The main wake is taking place downstairs, but Simon has organised their own space so they can show their support for the grieving Martin. However, Simon is late, and Martin hasn’t turned up yet, so Jake and Donnie order their drinks and catch up on the last decade.
Jake (James Treacy) now works in Stockholm, where his ex-girlfriend has now become his new colleague. Donnie (David Watters) hasn’t left the Irish town; he’s now an English teacher, albeit at a different school from the one the lads attended back in the day. Jake admits reluctantly that there’s some unfinished business between him and his ex, while Donnie, when he discovers that he wasn’t invited to a school reunion, simmers with rage.
Martin (a towering Andrew Cusack), already drunk when he arrives, is a joker, a Jack-the-lad, ordering more drinks when they’ve only taken a sip of their pints of Guinness and cider. Simon (Brian Raftery) is the last to arrive; he had trouble with his young son. He’s a little flustered, but he seems the most steady of the four men, keen for the night to go well.
However, Jake won’t let go of something that his ex told him back in Sweden, something to do with a party they all went to in their final year of school. The girl who hosted the party never came back to school. Jake is determined to find out what happened that night. It takes a long time for the truth to come out – too long perhaps – but Charles has a few tricks up his sleeve.
This interrogation of both the good and bad aspects of masculinity is well acted, and the scenes around the pub table, full of half-empty glasses, as the men shoot the breeze, are very watchable, and slowly their characters are highlighted. Charles also gives three of the men monologues, presented directly to the audience, to show their inner lives, but these are less successful.
Jake’s monologue about empathy and human connections is confusing and seems a long way from the main plot. Donnie’s lecture on the nurturing of children at least has something to do with the story, but it, too, feels misplaced. Only Martin’s story, about a schoolboy prank, works, and gives us an insight into his personality that the other soliloquies fail to do. Indeed, more of Martin’s stories – for instance, what is the “cabbaging” that he refers to? – would help brighten up some of the earlier scenes to show how these men were indeed once friends.
Sorcha Morgan plays the barkeep, and while her role is minimal, she provides the vital clue in solving Jake’s mystery. However, it would be good if she had more to do in the meantime and perhaps exhibited more rage at what men do when they’ve had a few drinks, either now or 10 years earlier.
The changes in the light design are a little intrusive at times, but The Lads Play is at a good place in its development, and the actors shine in this important show about men and their secrets.
Runs until 6 August 2026
Camden Fringe 2026 runs until 30 August
