Daniel Marconi, Michael Hayden, Harrison Tipping. (Photo: Carol Rosegg)
The Honey Trap
By Fern Siegel
For 30 years, Northern Ireland was plagued by “The Troubles,” a civil war between Protestant loyalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain in the U.K., and Catholic republicans (IRA) fighting for a united Ireland. The third combatant was the British Army. The civilian toll was terrible and when the Good Friday Agreement was struck in 1999, Boston College created an oral history of past events, known as the Belfast Project.
The result was controversial — and revealed IRA murders later tried in court. The Honey Trap, now off-Broadway at the Irish Repertory Theatre, is inspired by some of these stories. Belfast playwright Leo McGann’s new drama has elements of thriller and memoir, as it confronts guilt, responsibility, redemption, vengeance and the long-term psychological costs of killing.
Here, two 20something British soldiers meet two Irish girls (Doireann Mac Mahon and Annabelle Zasowski) in a pub. One soldier (Daniel Marconi) staggers drunkenly back to base, but the other (Harrison Tipping) is encouraged to go home with the pair — and pays with his life. He has been lured by an IRA honey trap. Does youthful zealotry excuse an unprovoked murder? How do we define enemies? And are we permitted to seek revenge decades later?
Those questions are presented by director Matt Torney, a Belfast native who lived through the Troubles and endured the rubble and blood of a battle-scarred city. The fierceness of Honey Trap, which begins in 1979 and moves back and forth in time between then and the present, takes a deep dive into provocative terrain.
While both sides air their grievances, the focus is on the surviving British soldier (an extraordinary Michael Hayden) who harbors both guilt and anger for his friend Bobby’s murder. Decades later, as he explains Bobby’s execution to a researcher (Molly Ranson), she says: “We’re thrilled that you’re telling your truth.” “My truth?” replies the affronted middle-aged Dave. “No. The truth.”
Doireann Mac Mahon, Annabelle Zasowski, Harrison Tipping, Daniel Marconi (Photo: Carol Rosegg)
As Dave’s version is revealed, we understand the dangers to both sides. The third player is the U.S., which via Irish–American sympathizers channeled money and weapons to the IRA, maintaining its arsenal.
Torney’s two-hour production is precisely calibrated — and as we move into the present and meet the adult Sonia (Samantha Mathis), a key figure in Bobby’s death, we wonder how a grown-up Dave, who has carefully orchestrated meeting her, will proceed. He is gunning for revenge — but can he carry out his mission?
The set design by Charlie Corcoran successfully captures the period as do Sarita Fellow’s costumes. The tension and escalation of violence is experienced through Michael Gottlieb’s evocative lighting and James Garver’s striking sound design. Northern Ireland in the 1970s was a turbulent place — and the production puts us front and center. But it’s McGann’s willingness to present the consequences of violent ideology that leave us shattered.
The Honey Trap has various twists and illustrates how seemingly random moments can alter a life. When the personal and the political merge, there is no middle course. And as three decades of The Troubles indicate, in the end, nobody won. The 1999 agreement created shared power and a de-escalation of violence. But was justice served? Or is reconciliation left to future generations with less immediate ties to sorrow?
A strong cast, compelling writing and solid direction deliver a gripping show, especially in the final second-act scenes. Like all good art, the show both enlightens and enrages. Audiences should leave with more questions than when they arrived.
At The Irish Rep
132 W. 22 St.
Running time: 2 hours, 1 intermission
Through November 23, 2025
