“When someone makes you a refugee in your own city — that’ll do things to you.”
"The Honey Trap," now playing at the Irish Repertory Theatre, delivers drama, regret, humor, and anger through stellar performances — a two-hour theatrical feast with a side of history.
Director Matt Torney and playwright Leo McGann collaborate to present, in two acts, a rich story where lies, prejudice, and deceit mirror the social fabric of Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
The play transcends politics by laying bare the emotional toll on its characters — likeable yet ultimately tragic survivors of their own experiences.
McGann’s script centers on a plot to lure British soldiers to their deaths in Belfast during the Troubles in 1979. Although there have been many attempts to understand and defuse the trauma of those times — Patrick Radden Keefe’s "Say Nothing" (book and FX / Hulu series) and the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 come to mind — McGann focuses instead on two individuals and their shared pain. The narrative unfolds primarily from a British soldier’s perspective, giving it a broader emotional arc.
The story begins as an Irish-American historian, Emily (Molly Ransom) interviews participants from the Troubles for a research project. She has already spoken with nine former IRA members and now sits with the only British soldier willing to be interviewed, Dave (Michael Hayden). The action alternates between scenes in a “proddy pub” in 1979 and the present-day interview.
Michael Hayden and Molly Ranson in Irish Rep's 2025 production of "The Honey Trap." (Carol Rosegg)
Dave, played by Hayden (with Daniel Marconi portraying the younger version), was a 24-year-old soldier when his mate Bobby (Harrison Tipping) was murdered — lured from the pub to his death by two Irish women, Kristy (Doireann MacMahon) and Lisa (Annabelle Zasowski), and taken to a safe house where he is executed by IRA gunmen. The operation, known as “The Honey Trap,” haunts Dave decades later.
Racked with guilt for encouraging Bobby to go with the women while he returned safely to barracks, Dave wrestles with remorse and anger. During the interviews, he spars with Emily — both resisting and exploiting her — using her research to uncover what he hopes will bring him redemption: the name of the killer.
Harrison Tipping and Daniel Marconi in Irish Rep's 2025 production of "The Honey Trap." (Carol Rosegg)
The script skillfully exposes the contradictions of the times. One pointed exchange captures this irony — Americans supporting the IRA:
Emily: I think you'll actually find Boston is best known for being the birthplace of the American Revolution.
Dave: Right. So it’s got a long history of murdering British soldiers. No wonder you all loved the IRA.
Dave vents his frustration at trying to keep the peace while suppressing violent impulses: “I wait for the order to charge, and then the first chance I get, I hit this little Fenian upside the face with my baton — KO him. Lights out before he hits the ground.”
Hayden perfectly captures the simmering hatred and internal conflict of an occupying soldier. His face contorts as he struggles to maintain composure, trapped in a no-win situation, his only release an outburst of violence.
Emily tries to help him process his trauma, but he rejects her attempts. She offers: “Northern Ireland never had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission where combatants could tell their stories and victims could receive some closure. In other post-conflict countries, like South Africa after apartheid, that was the foundation of a new society — of moving on and living with your former enemies.”
Although the Troubles formally ended with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the trauma endures decades later.
Samantha Mathis and Michael Hayden in Irish Rep's 2025 production of "The Honey Trap." (Carol Rosegg)
Eventually, Dave learns the name of someone who may have been involved that fateful night and sets out for revenge. For all his bluster, he meets his match when confronting the last surviving participant, the now-named Sonia (Samantha Mathis). His attempt to coerce a confession is met with steely resistance. Additionally, he learns that he was the intended target that night, not Bobby. This revelation adds to his guilt of abandoning his mate. His life is once again spared, this time with the words: “I’m not that person anymore.”
Director Torney deftly choreographs multiple scenes and time shifts, leading a cast anchored by Hayden and Mathis. Their performances brilliantly capture the human cost, horror, and contradictions of the Troubles. Mathis, in particular, commands the stage — suspicious, flirty, and resolute, a stone-cold survivor.
"The Honey Trap" runs at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City through November 23.
Comments