Juno and the Paycock is one of O’Casey’s most highly regarded plays. Set in the Dublin tenements during the Civil War in 1922 and 1923, this play gave voice to the Irish sufferers, the poverty-stricken families and those who felt betrayed by their country.
The play was first produced in the Abbey Theatre in 1924 in response to social problems of the time. Its return as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival nearly a century later felt like an important historic event to attend, ironically in a time where history seems to be somewhat repeating itself. Captain Boyle, played by Ciarán Hinds states that “Th’ whole worl’s in a terrible state o’ chassis!”. In a similar time of hardship and deterioration, Howard Davies’s production of the tragi-comedy should have resonated with its audience. While there was a lot of merit in this co-production between the Abbey Theatre and the National Theatre of Great Britain, my overall response was one of disappointment
Fortune can be lost as quickly as it is gained as is mirrored in the changing fortunes of the Boyle family. While Captain Jack Boyle, played by Ciarán Hinds, is a pathetic excuse of a man, who drinks consistently alongside his accomplice Joxer Daly, Juno Boyle, played by Sinéad Cusack, is a stern, hard-working woman who selflessly attempts to hold her family together in their constant struggle throughout the play.
Bob Crowley’s set design in Act 1 captures the decrepit living conditions of the Dublin tenements, through an overwhelming use of grey and the great attention to detail such as the tattered wallpaper and mismatch of floorboards constructed into a sleeping area. The set in in Act 2 is an obvious choice; rich colours and a stage speckled with lavish furniture. However, the vibrant red is perhaps a reminder of the bloodshed and violence outside of the cocoon that the Boyles have created for themselves. By deluding themselves, the end result is inevitably dark for Juno and her family. This is conveyed through the starkly empty stage at the end of the play.
Howard Davies focuses largely on the creation of atmosphere in this production: Celtic music acts as a leitmotif throughout the performance while subtle lighting changes convey the bleak life of the Boyles which gets progressively more dismal as the play continues. One can get swept into the ecstatic oblivion that the Boyles have created as a result to their unsuspected inheritance. However , the entire play is overshadowed by tragedy with the ongoing turmoil of the Civil War. While the Boyles delude themselves with a pretence happiness, sound effects such as the morbid chanting of Mrs. Tancred’s son’s funeral plummet us back into the reality.
Moments of comedy are plentiful in this production of Juno and the Paycock, particularly the exchanges between Juno and her husband. Ciarán Hinds brings a swaggering flamboyance to the character of Jack Boyle which is juxtaposed by the indomitable Juno (Sinéad Cusack), who emphasizes her husband’s worthlessness throughout. The dynamic between Hinds and Cusack on stage is energetic and succeeds in creating vigour onstage. As an audience member, it is essential to believe the characters on stage in order to empathize with them. While many performances given were entertaining, I failed to believe in the authenticity of the characters which detracted from my overall response to the play.
Fionnuala Gygax- 5/11/11
Saturday 5 November 2011
Friday 16 September 2011
Thursday 15 September 2011
Man of Valour Review- Absolut Fringe 2011
Man of Valour by The Corn Exchange is a unique and breathtaking piece of theatre. Fringe describe it as a "one-man action movie", and that is quite literally what it is. With superb direction from Annie Ryan, Paul Reid succeeds where most actors would fail. Giving an astonishing performance Reid manages to transform the naked stage into the world of Farrell Blinks. Through perfected mime movements and polished sound effects, Reid sustains an energetic and committed performance for the 95 minutes he is on stage.
One could initially feel slightly uneasy with this production. The Corn Exchange leads us away from the spoon-feeding theatre that some companies produce. Man of Valour forces us to use our imagination, to visualise a grotty apartment, a crowded dart and a bustling office filled with stereotypical characters like the office flirt or the know-it-all enthusiast. Although effective visual and lighting effects help us, the reality is that the entire play relies on Reid. Fortunately, he gains our trust within minutes, allowing us to be guided by him, to be a part of his journey and to understand the complex mind of Farrell Blinks. His movements are so precise that one could believe that he was in fact being manoeuvred by a giant remote control.
Blinks is a man of shadows, apologetic for his own existence and trapped in a world of his own inadequacy. However, there are moments where the distressed, fidgeting man spirals into a world of imagination, bounding around the stage like an action figure, an inner desire to be someone, to be a hero.
These moments are often interrupted by the outside world and Blinks is suddenly catapulted back into dreary reality where he is alone. As the play progresses however, Blinks struggles to keep a hold on what is real and what is merely a figment of his imagination. Therefore, he is forced to confront his many demons.
The overall mood of the play is a dark one, filled with moments of poignancy where we witness a broken-down relationship between father and son and mild suggestions of abuse. Nonetheless, Reid's transformation into various characters, which he does to perfection, offers a comic relief that gives the production a good overall balance.
Although the ending could be perceived as cheesy, in my opinion Man of Valour is a must-see in this years Fringe Festival. Evidently, an enormous amount of gruelling hours went into this production, but The Corn Exchange certainly succeeds in producing a truly fantastic show. Therefore, it was no wonder that every single audience member was on their feet before Paul Reid had even taken his first bow.
Fionnuala Gygax- 15/09/11
One could initially feel slightly uneasy with this production. The Corn Exchange leads us away from the spoon-feeding theatre that some companies produce. Man of Valour forces us to use our imagination, to visualise a grotty apartment, a crowded dart and a bustling office filled with stereotypical characters like the office flirt or the know-it-all enthusiast. Although effective visual and lighting effects help us, the reality is that the entire play relies on Reid. Fortunately, he gains our trust within minutes, allowing us to be guided by him, to be a part of his journey and to understand the complex mind of Farrell Blinks. His movements are so precise that one could believe that he was in fact being manoeuvred by a giant remote control.
Blinks is a man of shadows, apologetic for his own existence and trapped in a world of his own inadequacy. However, there are moments where the distressed, fidgeting man spirals into a world of imagination, bounding around the stage like an action figure, an inner desire to be someone, to be a hero.
These moments are often interrupted by the outside world and Blinks is suddenly catapulted back into dreary reality where he is alone. As the play progresses however, Blinks struggles to keep a hold on what is real and what is merely a figment of his imagination. Therefore, he is forced to confront his many demons.
The overall mood of the play is a dark one, filled with moments of poignancy where we witness a broken-down relationship between father and son and mild suggestions of abuse. Nonetheless, Reid's transformation into various characters, which he does to perfection, offers a comic relief that gives the production a good overall balance.
Although the ending could be perceived as cheesy, in my opinion Man of Valour is a must-see in this years Fringe Festival. Evidently, an enormous amount of gruelling hours went into this production, but The Corn Exchange certainly succeeds in producing a truly fantastic show. Therefore, it was no wonder that every single audience member was on their feet before Paul Reid had even taken his first bow.
Friday 26 August 2011
A Review- Bedbound
Enda Walsh's plays are explosive, unsettling, unapologetically dark but still captivating and thought-provoking for the audience. Ones goes to the theatre to feel something, to be moved, to be frightened, to be appalled, to laugh. It is a rare occasion to feel all of these emotions from one performance. However, when I left the New Theatre after seeing Pillowtalk's production of Bedbound I found myself in a flurry of emotion, as if I had experience something traumatic, hilarious and beautiful all at the same time. And I had.
Entering the New Theatre was like stepping into a scene from a nightmare. With a huge portion of the stage covered in an assortment of furniture built into a barricade around a single bed centre stage, there was instantly a sense of inescapable confinement. The dim yellow lights shining from the lamps and chandeliers create an eerie atmosphere, like something one might find in an abandoned church.
The Daughter, played by Sara Joyce, sits draped in sheets, clinging to the bedcovers frantically as she eye-balls the audience with definite unease. Her first action on stage is to regurgitate a liquid onto her sheets, which is an indicator that this production is not for the faint hearted.
The Daughter (Sara Joyce) has been imprisoned in this chamber for 10 years, after being struck by polio, destroying her father's dream of building a family franchise furniture store. The Father (Fionn Ó Loinsigh) has only recently become an inhabitant of this dungeon. Throughout the play, the father and the daughter work together, re creating moments that have circumstantially caused their imprisonement together in this man-made room.
The pace and energy of the actors is vigorous and endearing for an audience to watch. Moments where Joyce speaks with such momentous flurry often stops suddenly, leaving us almost short of breath as we attempt to regain our thoughts. Joyce proves herself to be a real chameleon actor in this play, regularly transforming in to various exaggerated characters, making the audience howl with laughter at her ludicrous facial expressions and accents before suddenly transforming back into the twisted, disturbed daughter in the blink of an eye. Despite his age, Ó Loinsigh performs with such an enormous amount of commitment and energy that he successfully makes us believe that he is the deranged and frenzied father who kept his wife and daughter captive for a decade.
Rosemary McKenna's direction is fantastically precise, focusing hugely on the physicality of her actors. Although Joyce remains rooted in the bed sheets for the production, McKenna ensures that Ó Loinsigh uses the entire space of the stage, exulting a boundless amount of energy throughout.
McKenna sometimes pushes the boundaries with her actors, making the audience feel somewhat uneasy. However, it is such moments that truly embody the dangerous way in which Walsh himself writes and makes this theatrical experience even more memorable for the audience.
Pillowtalk's production of Bedbound is laced with moments of absolute comic genius, utter terror and heartbreaking poignancy. Through impressive and committed actors, a risk-taking director with a clear vision and understanding of the text and a creative and talented team of designers (Lights: Dan Bergin, Set: Zia Holly and Sound: Ciarán Clarke) this production of Bedbound is not to be missed.
Riveting and unsettling, Bedbound will stay in your mind long after you leave the theatre.
Fionnuala Gygax- 26/08/11
Entering the New Theatre was like stepping into a scene from a nightmare. With a huge portion of the stage covered in an assortment of furniture built into a barricade around a single bed centre stage, there was instantly a sense of inescapable confinement. The dim yellow lights shining from the lamps and chandeliers create an eerie atmosphere, like something one might find in an abandoned church.
The Daughter, played by Sara Joyce, sits draped in sheets, clinging to the bedcovers frantically as she eye-balls the audience with definite unease. Her first action on stage is to regurgitate a liquid onto her sheets, which is an indicator that this production is not for the faint hearted.
The Daughter (Sara Joyce) has been imprisoned in this chamber for 10 years, after being struck by polio, destroying her father's dream of building a family franchise furniture store. The Father (Fionn Ó Loinsigh) has only recently become an inhabitant of this dungeon. Throughout the play, the father and the daughter work together, re creating moments that have circumstantially caused their imprisonement together in this man-made room.
The pace and energy of the actors is vigorous and endearing for an audience to watch. Moments where Joyce speaks with such momentous flurry often stops suddenly, leaving us almost short of breath as we attempt to regain our thoughts. Joyce proves herself to be a real chameleon actor in this play, regularly transforming in to various exaggerated characters, making the audience howl with laughter at her ludicrous facial expressions and accents before suddenly transforming back into the twisted, disturbed daughter in the blink of an eye. Despite his age, Ó Loinsigh performs with such an enormous amount of commitment and energy that he successfully makes us believe that he is the deranged and frenzied father who kept his wife and daughter captive for a decade.
Rosemary McKenna's direction is fantastically precise, focusing hugely on the physicality of her actors. Although Joyce remains rooted in the bed sheets for the production, McKenna ensures that Ó Loinsigh uses the entire space of the stage, exulting a boundless amount of energy throughout.
McKenna sometimes pushes the boundaries with her actors, making the audience feel somewhat uneasy. However, it is such moments that truly embody the dangerous way in which Walsh himself writes and makes this theatrical experience even more memorable for the audience.
Pillowtalk's production of Bedbound is laced with moments of absolute comic genius, utter terror and heartbreaking poignancy. Through impressive and committed actors, a risk-taking director with a clear vision and understanding of the text and a creative and talented team of designers (Lights: Dan Bergin, Set: Zia Holly and Sound: Ciarán Clarke) this production of Bedbound is not to be missed.
Riveting and unsettling, Bedbound will stay in your mind long after you leave the theatre.
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