The atmosphere in the Bewley’s Theatre Café feels very different post-performance, and yet it still retains its bohemian artsy vibe. As I walk in, I suddenly feel as though I am in Paris, in a small café on the left bank. Technicians buzz around, striking the minimal set, opening the shutters and letting the dust fly out onto the street for the street cleaners to handle. A few stray elderly ladies totter out into the open once again and the clanking of dinner plates suggests a satisfactory lunch. It is about 2.15 p.m. and Simon Toal, who I may have accidentally called Peter while organising this interview- shame on me, has just completed another performance of ‘The Friends of Jack Kairo’, the run of which will finish on the 14th February. I have come to talk to him about what happens next but it seems like he might need a moment, the sweat still trickling down his brow.
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