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
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