A fast-paced, foul-mouthed and shockingly violent two-hander, Howie the Rookie first performed in 1999 to major acclaim, praised as “Outstanding” (Telegraph) and “a magnificent mix of violence and poignancy” (The Stage). The upcoming staging feels newly urgent in today’s climate, where conversations around masculinity, social division and power have moved into the mainstream conversation.

Told through two interlocking monologues, the play follows ‘Howie Lee’ and ‘The Rookie Lee’ across a volatile 24-hour period in working-class Dublin. Fixated on the humiliation of a seemingly trivial incident (getting scabies from a discarded mattress), Howie spirals into obsession, setting out to reclaim his honour and find someone to blame. Meanwhile, The Rookie Lee is already in trouble, indebted to a local gangster and navigating his own precarious path.

As their worlds collide, the play becomes a brutal and darkly comic study of how young men construct identity through dominance, status and violence, and how quickly that performance can tip into catastrophe.

‘Howie the Rookie’ is showing at The Cockpit Theatre from 24 April to Saturday 2 May.