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theatre · Thursday 24 September 2026 · 7:30pm 
Last of the Red Hot Lovers - Market Place Theatre, Armagh
At Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre · 9 Market Street, Armagh, Co. Armagh BT61 7BW
At Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre · 9 Market Street, Armagh, Co. Armagh BT61 7BW
Last of the Red Hot Lovers comes to the Market Place Theatre, Armagh, for one night on Thursday 24 September 2026. It is Neil Simon’s Broadway comedy, first staged in 1969 and still a favourite with amateur companies for its sharp dialogue and three-act structure built around a single hapless character.
The play follows middle-aged restaurant owner Barney Cashman, a devoted husband and father who, feeling he has missed out on the sexual revolution of the 1960s, decides to arrange a series of extramarital seductions before it is too late. Each of the play’s three acts pairs him with a different woman in his mother’s Manhattan apartment, and each encounter goes wrong in its own comic way, exposing Barney’s nerves and good intentions rather than any real recklessness. It is Neil Simon at his most classic: verbal comedy, awkward set pieces, and a central character who is more sympathetic than scandalous.
As a single-night touring or amateur production, this gives Armagh audiences a chance to see a well-loved American comedy classic performed live without travelling further afield. Expect a smaller cast and a dialogue-driven style rather than spectacle, well suited to fans of character comedy.
The Market Place Theatre is on Market Street in Armagh city centre. From Belfast, the M1 and A3 via Portadown take around an hour; from Dublin, take the A1/N1 through Newry. Translink Goldline and Ulsterbus services run into Armagh bus station on Lonsdale Road, a short walk away, and there is public parking nearby including the Market Street car park.
A weeknight comedy is an easy one to build an evening around - dinner in the city centre, then a short walk to the theatre. There is more to see in Armagh and across Co. Armagh.
Heading to Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre in Armagh? Armagh has plenty more to see. Read the Armagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.