My personal review on Juno and the paycock.

On October 19^th all transition year students went to see the production of Juno and the paycock following the study of the text in class. Juno and the paycock, was written by Sean O’ Casey and it tells a story about the Boyle family living in a tenement house.

The production started when the house lights fading and Irish music began to play. Then the curtains opened and revelled on old tenement room with worn out furniture and little props.  The first thing that struck me when the curtains opened was how realistic the set looked, I think for people who maybe didn’t read the play it was very obvious for them to see what time in Irish history this play was set in. The layout of the stage was very simple yet realistic of you felt it was actually a real tenement room not a set. There were only a few  chairs,table a stove and a bed.

  

In the second act the props had changed slightly as the Boyle family found out in act one that they had inherited money now the tenement room had more expensive furniture the home looked less poor.   

The director used lighting to portray the time of day weather and also the mood. If it was a time of sadness the lighting tended to be dim an example would be when Mrs Tancred entered the family home before her son’s funeral, whereas if there was a happy or joyful scene the lighting tended to be bright.  

I think the casting for the play was brilliant most of the characters were how I pictured them when I was reading the play in class. The only thing was Mrs. Madigan in the production was a young woman in the play, I think she came across as an older woman around the same age as Juno. But I think she was the best actress in the play. In the play my favourite characters were Jack Boyle played by Ciaran Hinds and Joxer Daly who was played by Risteárd Cooper. I think they were my favourite because they added a humour side to the play. In the play Juno is a matriarch figure and tries to keep the family together during times of conflict.

This production gave me a greater insight of what 1920’s Ireland and tenement life was like. I like the way the director Howard Davies kept the production the same as Sean O’ Casey had written it keeping the Dublin accents and slang as it helped set the scene also.

I think Sean O’ Casey’s outlook on 1920 Ireland was an outlook of hardship and suffering as he brings up themes of family conflict and cultural conflict he showed cultural conflict through Johnny’s character who in the play has only one arm and a damaged hip. I think O’ Casey put the humour of Jack and Joxer into his play to show that tenement life wasn’t all suffering that there was good times to be had with family and friends.

 I really enjoyed the production of Juno and the paycock and I would recommend people to read and see the play. I would recommend it to the next transition year classes as it is a nice, short play to read.