Elysium, Nevada comes to the Viking Theatre, Clontarf, Dublin, nightly at 8pm from 6 to 13 June 2026. Written by Barry McKinley and directed by Liam Halligan, this Bewley’s Café Theatre production stars Michael James Ford, Bairbre Ní Chaoimh and Mark O’Regan. First presented in 2010 and nominated for the Irish Times Best New Play Award, it is a darkly comic portrait of old age set on the edge of the Mojave Desert. All seats €20.
Key facts
- Show: Elysium, Nevada by Barry McKinley
- Company: Bewley’s Café Theatre
- Director: Liam Halligan
- Cast: Michael James Ford, Bairbre Ní Chaoimh, Mark O’Regan
- Venue: Viking Theatre, Connolly’s The Sheds, Clontarf, Dublin
- Dates: nightly at 8:00pm from 6 to 13 June 2026 (auditorium opens 19:45)
- No performances on Sundays. Monday 8 June is sold out.
- Admission: no latecomers admitted
- Tickets: all seats €20 on TakeYourSeats.ie
About the play
In a sun-blasted retirement home on the edge of the Mojave Desert, two ageing residents pass their days trading barbs, jokes and grievances as they wait for time to do what it always does. Their brittle comedy masks deeper fears about decline, memory and the approach of death. When a mysterious outsider joins them, the familiar rhythms of their banter begin to fracture, and what starts as a darkly comic portrait of old age shifts into something stranger, more unsettling — and unexpectedly moving.
First presented to great acclaim in 2010, Barry McKinley’s Elysium, Nevada was nominated for the Irish Times Best New Play Award. As the poster asks: “In the desert you can’t remember your name… or can you?”
Critical praise
- “The script is wickedly funny and a final twist is genuinely surprising.” — The Irish Times (★★★★)
- “Three irresistible performances.” — The Arts Review (★★★★)
- “A study in wizened, impotent rage, measured out in wicked one-liners.” — The Irish Times
- “A memorable conclusion, linking these fading characters to the heavy pulse of human history, at one of its defining moments.” — The Scotsman
Frequently asked questions
When is Elysium, Nevada on at the Viking Theatre, Dublin?
Elysium, Nevada plays the Viking Theatre, Clontarf, Dublin nightly at 8:00pm from 6 to 13 June 2026, with the auditorium opening at 19:45. There are no performances on Sundays, and Monday 8 June is sold out.
Who wrote and directs Elysium, Nevada, and who stars in it?
The play is written by Barry McKinley and directed by Liam Halligan, in a Bewley’s Café Theatre production starring Michael James Ford, Bairbre Ní Chaoimh and Mark O’Regan.
What is Elysium, Nevada about?
Set in a retirement home on the edge of the Mojave Desert, it follows two ageing residents trading barbs and jokes as a mysterious outsider arrives — a darkly comic study of old age, memory and mortality that turns stranger and more moving as it goes.
How much are tickets, and how do I book?
All seats are €20, booked through TakeYourSeats.ie. No latecomers are admitted, so allow time to arrive before the 8:00pm start.
Tickets and how to book
All performances of Elysium, Nevada at the Viking Theatre, Clontarf are bookable through TakeYourSeats.ie at a flat €20 for every seat. With Monday 8 June already sold out, the remaining nights from 6 to 13 June 2026 (no Sunday performance) are the ones to watch. Booking on TakeYourSeats.ie supports independent Irish theatre.
More theatre on TakeYourSeats.ie
- Also on in June: The Kerryman at Glass Mask Theatre, Dublin
- What’s On in Ireland: June 2026 theatre and performance guide
- More theatre and live performance on TakeYourSeats.ie
