Irish Repertory Theatre’s new production of “The Honey Trap,” running now through February 15, 2026, unfolds across two distinct time periods, each shaped by a single, reverberating event. The play is a taut thriller that moves between Belfast in 1979 and America decades later, as long-buried memories rise to the surface and characters seek answers to deal with the impact of the past.
For more than thirty-five years, Irish Rep has been one of New York’s essential cultural institutions, celebrated for producing Irish and Irish-American works that consistently garner critical and popular acclaim. Their staging of “The Honey Trap” unites a stellar creative team with a dynamic cast that includes familiar faces such as Michael Hayden and Samantha Mathis, as well as rising talent Annabelle Zasowski, whose pivotal character sets key events in motion. We caught up with her for a Q&A about stepping into this charged story, transitioning from screen to stage, and more.
For people who are not familiar with “The Honey Trap,” how would you describe the story and your character’s place in it?
“The Honey Trap” takes place both in Ireland during The Troubles and in a pub in England as part of a present-day oral history project. I would say the main thrust of the story is ideological differences — people on different sides, with different views on a situation, and what human beings are willing to do to one another to preserve their philosophical ideas. Without spoiling too much, I think my character in this play is definitely someone with strongly held beliefs who sees herself as a facilitator. Her thinking is that her actions can really help an overall goal. Although some people may see her actions as reprehensible, Lisa (at least at the time) believes that they’re justified.
The play is about an incident that happened during The Troubles. Were you familiar with the general historical events that are portrayed in the play prior to being cast? How much background material did the cast access during the rehearsal period?
Honestly, I didn’t know nearly enough about The Troubles before starting this play. I had a general idea of what they were about, but this play really made me dive deeper into the thoughts and feelings of everyone involved. I did some research on my own to get started, and then before rehearsals, our director, Matt, gave us some great material to work with that helped a lot. I think we, as a cast, dug as far as we could to make this as authentic as possible, no matter where our characters were coming from.
What drew you to this role, and what was the most exciting or challenging part about playing your character?
It sounds like a cliché, but the second I read the script, I fell in love with it and thought, Damn, I have to play this part. Leo McGann is such a talented writer — it’s unbelievable. I wanted to do everything in my power to portray this girl — someone completely different from who I am (a girl from Belfast in the 1970s) — as truthfully as I could. I guess I did okay since I landed the job!
The most interesting part about Lisa is that she’s an average person who finds herself in a position to do something that some people will see as barbaric and others will see as heroic. And it can be argued that both of those feelings are warranted.
You’ve done a fair amount of television and film work. How has the transition to stage work been for you?
It’s been wonderful — definitely very different from TV and film, but in the best way. On stage, you draw inspiration from a live audience, which is great. Every night feels different, and the performance definitely shifts depending on the audience’s reactions. The part that’s been the most interesting is trying to find new discoveries within the same scenes night after night. Trying to keep myself on my own toes has been a fun challenge.
What has it been like working with director Matt Torney? Did he provide any particular insights that helped to shape your performance?
Working with Matt was great. He’s from Belfast, so having him there, ready to answer any question I might have about the scenes, the accent, or Belfast itself, was amazing. Although he had a particular vision for this play, I felt like he supported my choices and allowed me to play around as much or as little as I wanted to within the framework of the character.
Has anything about the process of putting on this play, or about the cast, surprised you?
I think the thing that’s surprised me the most is just the amount of stamina it takes to put yourself into such an emotional piece every single day. As for the cast — maybe the fact that we’ve all grown incredibly close. Let’s be honest — that isn’t always the case, am I right?
Irish Rep holds a special and important place in New York’s theater scene. What does performing here mean to you?
Okay, in lieu of sounding corny, it means everything to me. The Irish Rep has a long and legendary history, and the fact that I’m able to call myself a member of the family now is really special to me.
The Rep’s space is known for intimate storytelling. How does performing in such a small space affect your performance?
In this kind of setting, there really is no hiding. You have to be right there with your performance every night, or everyone in the theatre is going to know it. Also, being in a place with a relatively small cast and crew has allowed us all to really bond. Every time I walk into the theatre, there’s some sort of taste test going on — someone bringing in báirín breac cake all the way from Ireland. It’s been the absolute best time.
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“The Honey Trap” runs through February 15, 2026. For tickets and information, visit irishrep.org.
