Wexford to host European premiere of play which sold out in New York

A play, which sold out in New York City, is coming to Wexford for its European premiere…

SPOONS, a play by Ben Firke, will make its European premiere at the National Opera House in Wexford this July, direct from a sold-out run in New York. SPOONS will be performed at the National Opera House in Wexford on Tuesday, 21 July — and it’s worth noting that this is a one-night only performance on Irish soil before they begin their US tour.

SPOONS deep-dives into the post-pandemic comic challenge of finding human connection. Brad, a sportswriter, cannot seem to meet women. Desperate for simple human touch, he retains the services of Molly, a professional cuddler with her own self-imposed boundaries.

They form a fragile bond over the course of their sessions, as they struggle with their fears, biases, and preconceived ideas about friendship. A wry meditation on loneliness, recovery, and trust, SPOONS takes us into the chaos of seeking companionship in our lonely age.

Speaking to Tosh Arora of Soleil Theater Productions, he provided us with some more information behind their reasons for choosing Wexford, what the audience can expect on the night, and their reaction to selling-out in the Big Apple.

For Tosh and the Soleil Theater Productions team behind ‘SPOONS’, choosing Wexford and the National Opera House as a no-brainer for the performance after it was recommended:

“Eddie McCarthy, stage Technician Extraordinaire at the National Opera House and long-time friend of our director, suggested we do Spoons in Wexford after seeing the livestream of our New York run. He knows the ins and outs of the lighting and sound at the National Opera House and we knew if we had him at the head of our technical team we could take Spoons to the next level.”

“This summer will be our third year studying at the National Opera House. We fell in love with Wexford town over the past few years, and jumped at the opportunity to perform at the beautiful Jerome Hynes Theatre,” Tosh Arora told Wexford Weekly.

The play will take place at the Jerome Hynes Theatre at the National Opera House. Anyone familiar with the National Opera House would be aware its intimacy and how it’s perfect for a play like this:

“The Jerome Hynes Theatre is a beautiful, intimate setting. But this play is best seen in one. It’s a two-hander, so we don’t have to worry about fitting a big ensemble on stage. We had a similar setting in New York City and it felt like the divide between the audience and stage was smaller, which allowed audience to see the vulnerability and storytelling on a whole different level,” Tosh told Wexford Weekly.

Selling out in New York City is the dream for many in the industry. For Soleil Theater Productions, this is just the start for SPOONS with the plans and tour only about to begin — but there’s no doubt that the New York show and number of atendees exceeded their own expectations:

“Expect isn’t quite the right word, I would say “hoped” would be a better one. It was a blessing to have those hopes realized and get the reaction we did. It was heartwarming to hear laughs and tears from our New York audience, and it exceeded our expectations better than we could have hoped for,” he said.

Those interested in attending should act quick; not often does a sold-out play from NYC and a European premiere land in Wexford town and there’s no doubt that many people will be interested in purchasing tickets for this play.

The play runs 90-minutes, with curtains at 7:30 PM, in the intimate Jerome Hynes Theatre. To maintain intimacy, tickets will be limited. Tickets to see SPOONS on Tuesday, 21 July at the National Opera House can be purchased on the National Opera House website now.