Developed throughout 2023, the play is a sharp, funny, and emotionally charged look at love and connection in the modern age. Starring Ultan Pringle and Emmanuel Okoye, and directed by Joy Nesbitt, Boyfriends captures the intensity of early relationships, the uncertain, intoxicating stage before things are clearly defined.
When writing the play, Pringle told The Clare Echo he wanted to capture “that beginning stage of a relationship when everything is fun and exciting — or ‘fizzy,’ as he describes it.
Boyfriends follows two men through the early stages of what might be called a “situationship.” At first, it’s light and exciting, but as the story unfolds, their fear and lack of communication lead to a more “poisonous situation.”
“I was really interested in our generation’s fear of labels and commitment,” Pringle said. “We live in an era of ultimate choice online. What’s that doing to romance? What happens when everything feels possible, but we still can’t say what we want?”
Though the play centres on a gay relationship, Pringle notes that audiences of all backgrounds have connected with its themes. “When we did Boyfriends in Donegal, it was mostly middle-aged women,” he said. “They cried their eyes out. They told me they forgot the characters were gay.”
The story explores more than the ups and downs of modern dating. It touches on grief, body image, addiction, and loneliness, blending humour with heartache. “It’s a Trojan horse,” Pringle said. “It’s framed as a romantic comedy, but it’s also about bodies, beauty standards, loss, and how people connect.”
Although Boyfriends deals with delicate topics, Pringle’s writing finds humour in them. “I never think about humour as a writer,” he said. “It always has to be character first. The humour comes from how these two characters spark, they have good craic together, they pop.”
That energy between the two actors is a key part of the show’s charm. “Sometimes you’re on a date with somebody, and you’re popping, it’s hot,” he said. “I wanted to capture that on stage. That feeling when someone’s cheeky and fizzy, and you can’t help but fall for them.”
Boyfriends doesn’t follow a traditional theatre structure. The production shifts between genres and styles throughout. “At one point it’s a period drama, then it’s a sitcom, then it jumps 300 years into the future,” he said. “One scene is set in The George nightclub in Dublin, but it’s presented like a Jane Austen novel.”
Produced by LemonSoap Productions, the 2025 national tour includes eight theatres across the country, bringing the show from Dublin and Donegal to venues like glór in Ennis.
For Pringle, bringing the play to audiences nationwide is both exciting and uncertain. “I have no clue how this sort of gay sex rom-com is going to go down across the country,” he admitted.
Still, he’s optimistic that audiences will connect with its honesty. “I go to the theatre because I want to fall in love,” he said. “And I hope that’s what people feel when they come to Boyfriends.”
