The White Chip | Southwark Playhouse Borough

Billed as “a dry comedy about drying out”, The White Chip, Sean Daniels’ autobiographical play about his struggles with and recovery from alcohol addiction has found a home in the UK for the first time at Southwark Playhouse Borough after several successful US runs including a 2024 Off-Broadway run.

Steven McAlister (Ed Coleman), Daniels’ on-stage persona, narrates his descent into alcoholism starting from his first taste of beer as a young Mormon playing video games with his friend, to rock bottom and his eventual path to recovery. Through this there are numerous anecdotes from his drinking escapades, some humorous, some horrifying and some a mixture of the two. 

The eponymous ‘white chip’ is the first chip which an alcoholic receives when attending an AA meeting, rewarding 24 hours sober or the desire to stop drinking. As the play shows, that desire alone is often not enough to stop, or to stay stopped, and Steven racks up quite the collection of chips as the play progresses.

A major stumbling block in his journey to recovery is the emphasis on a higher power in addiction recovery sessions. Too often this is taken to mean God, and as an ex-Mormon, Steven’s complex relationship with religion makes him resistant to this path. It is only when he finds a recovery group run by two New York Jews which focuses on the science of addiction and recovery that he is able to fully buy in and work through the moments when alcohol tries its hardest to claw its way back into his life. 

It is after this revelation that the play becomes something of a call to arms, a reminder that we may need to approach recovery differently in a society where an increasing number of people are more inclined to listen to science than God. In a poignant moment, Steven ponders how many people didn’t make it because their brains, like his, needed more explanations, more understanding, more science. 

Alongside Coleman onstage are Mara Allen and Ashlee Irish, playing a variety of roles from friends, colleagues, partners and addiction counselors to Steven’s parents. His mother faces an addiction journey of her own which initially forces them apart but then is able to bring them back together, while his father spends much of the play dealing with his own health issues, a slow decline from Parkinson’s disease. 

Matt Ryan’s direction of this small cast is energetic, while sound design from Max Pappenheim helps to create atmosphere in the absence of set dressing or a larger ensemble cast. Jamie Platt’s lighting design also helps underscore the transition from the cheerful denial of Steven’s early addiction to the stark realisation of what he is confronting.

The White Chip is a valuable piece of theatre which contributes a thought-provoking take on addiction itself and the ways in which we help those who struggle with it.

The White Chip runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 16th August 2025.

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★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Danny Kaan