About the Show

Two British soldiers' past resurfaces in Belfast in Leo McGann's drama, directed by Matt Torney.

Set in Belfast during the height of the Troubles in 1979, The Honey Trap tells the story of two off-duty British soldiers who, after a night of flirtation and playful sparring with two local women in a unionist pub, find themselves drawn into a web of secrets and danger. Decades later, one of the soldiers, reflecting on these events for an American oral history project, is pulled back to Belfast, seeking answers and revenge.

This world premiere production is penned by Leo McGann, whose previous works include the acclaimed We Are the Tigers. The production is directed by Matt Torney, who brings his thoughtful and incisive vision to the play. The creative team includes set designer Charlie Corcoran and sound designer James Garver, contributing to the atmospheric and immersive storytelling.

Performances are scheduled to begin on September 17, 2025, at Irish Repertory Theatre’s Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage in New York City. Opening night is set for September 28, with the production running through November 9, 2025.

Critic Reviews (10)

"History is never inert, as the Belfast playwright Leo McGann reminds us in The Honey Trap: It metastasizes across decades, reshaping itself through recollection, omission and remorse. "
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"This is the only place that the air escapes the balloon at bit, but it’s short-lived, and McGann makes up for it with a last-minute twist—one last gotcha in a smart play."
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" 'The Honey Trap' has much to say to us, living in a world wracked by a never-ending search for vengeance; the modern resonances are almost too obvious to mention."
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"There's history in 'The Honey Trap,' but there are also fully fleshed out characters whose fates we come to care about. This is one of the strongest new plays Irish Rep has offered in a good long while."
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"...'The Honey Trap' offers some highly engrossing theater. Leo McGann’s drama might be more fully expressed as a screenplay, but for now hot acting and potent atmosphere help to make it quite a satisfying show."
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"Charlie Corcoran’s set flips easily from past to present, and the use of scrim in the walls points out the porosity of life and memory that the characters experience."
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"This is all to say there are some big, knotty issues to untangle among the characters. Each of these dynamics could be be a play or 100. But this play picks a narrower path"
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"The Honey Trap" offers no catharsis, no closure, no hope that understanding the past can free us from it. It's a play that lingers like guilt itself—uncomfortable, inescapable, and impossible to resolve.
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