Dress Rehearsal: A Handful Of Stars

Last evening’s dress rehearsal of A Handful Of Stars at Wexford Arts Centre was the blow to the solar plexis we hoped it would be. It presented, for some, an opportunity to see how the first in Billy Roche’s trilogy had stood the test of time and for younger theatre enthusiasts an introduction to the genius of the Wexford playwright. We can hand-on-heart say that the play has lost none of its emotional heft. This is not a slice of Wexford’s past preserved in aspic; it is a living, breathing work, universal in scope and unmarked by the passage of time. Elizabeth Whyte, CEO Wexford Arts Centre: ‘So moved by this stunning production, cast, direction and design of national and international calibre in our intimate 110 seater theatre. It is sacred to see this play performed where it first started out in 1986 as The Boker Poker Club …’.