Spraoi, which means ‘fun’ in Irish, is a production that combines theatre and mime and effortlessly takes the audience from laughter to tears. The story tells how an Irish boy and a Catalan boy have to overcome their differences, beginning with the language (the first speaks Gaelic, the second Catalan). One is extraverted and untidy, the other shy and neat. Together they have to try to have a good time and share their toys without turning each other’s worlds upside down. The clash of personalities has been the central subject of many plays, but rarely has it been treated with such humour as in Spraoi. The work is a Branar production in association with The Gombeens.
Jonathan Gunning and Miquel Barceló are The Gombeens, two clowns living in Galway who spread the word, through laughter, of a fairer society that demands participation and involvement. The theatrical duo has a long history in Ireland, taking shows from town to town and city to city like the troubadours of old. They call themselves “the buffoons of His Majesty the People”.