Juno and the Paycock w/ Mark Rylance - Gielgud

First and foremost I have not seen this yet, however looking at the post on the plays social media of the bows last night it is possibly quite telling that no one at all is stood up. Say what you want about standing ovations but I think we can all agree that it seems at most shows people always stand up, especially on a press night no matter the play. I look forward to the reviews...

I saw it earlier in the week. My first time seeing this play, so I didn’t know what to expect.

I agree with those saying that Rylance‘s approach to the play doesn’t seem to match that of the rest of the cast. I didn’t know what to make of it - wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a Brechtian-type thing, constantly taking us outside the play and our emotional responses to it…but if that was the intention, why the mix of styles? I ended up feeling bored and irritated - such an unlikeable character, but acted in a way that sabotaged the other characters, so it was hard to care about them or their situation.

So I’ve gone with 2 stars, but also happy to hear if it was me missing something, not understanding the play. I was checking for reviews earlier and am surprised to hear about the embargo. What is that going to achieve?

There was a standing ovation from around half the people I could see, but not sure that says much, as at least three people I could see on their feet had slept through large parts of the play!

Yes I agree completely with this assessment. Tonally the production is all over the place because of Rylance, mugging, winking at the audience and generally breaking the fourth wall. I've liked him in previous productions but he ruins this. In Act One he has several moments of physical comedy that really don't work - they feel totally inauthentic, mere shtick that isn't rooted in any kind of reality. 
Then in Act Two, Anna Healy comes on as Mrs Madigan and instantly provokes genuine laughter because she feels like a genuine, human being. The contrast between the two performances is profound.
I felt for the rest of the company having to share the stage with Rylance's show boating. Poor J Smith Cameron looks pretty fed up.

it didn’t get a full standing ovation last night at press night which is generally always a guarantee. Even Fawlty Terrible Towers got a full standing ovation at press night.

Such a pity having being passed over for Maisie in Druid/O'Casey last year (despite being in the ensemble), Anna Healy now gets to play her in an inferior production. Her chance will surely come again in Ireland. Her career has been stellar in the last few years after an incandescent turn as Maggie May in Marina Carr's Portia Coughlan at the Abbey. She really is a national treasure.

Have to say, with no previous knowledge of this play, I absolutely loved it.

I think Mark Rylances performance (which will definitely be polarizing) was brilliant- it provided some lightness, but in the sense of we are laughing at the character and how much of a loser he is. He is definitely a character who is living in his own world, and for that I think the performance works.

Juno and the supporting cast were all brilliant, and I think the tragedy of the end hit really well.

5/5 from me

This was most excellent at today’s matinee. 4 ½, at least.

Not having seen Seán O'Casey’s work before, this tragedy-comedy belongs on the same shelf as the best of Brian Friel, and I can’t offer much higher praise than that.

It’s a piece about a very particular moment in Irish history. For a second cultural reference, events take place around the same period as The Banshees of Inisherin (though, geographically, a long way distant). We observe issues around a newly independent country wrestling for its way forward. If you aren't familiar with events it could make this harder to appreciate.

On a human level, similarities might be seen in the corresponding roles of the men and women; some men are drink-sodden, idling fools while women mostly struggle with the twin tyrannies of their men and the Catholic Church - during the Irish Civil War.


I liked this so much. It felt like an explanation of that moment from the pov of a poverty-stricken family, so folks 100-years later know how it was. In fact, the woman sitting next to me studied this play at the Irish equivalent of A Level, which sounds about right to me.

Having read some of the comments here, I had some reservations about what to expect at today’s matinee. It was brilliant - true to the spirit of the play. All the comedy is in the text and the tragic finale was played out very sensitively. The performances across the board were exceptional. Saw Judi Dench superb as Juno in ‘80s, J Smith-Cameron perfectly pitched in the role today. Strongly recommend this production.

I saw this today and thought it was excellent. The tonal shift came directly from the characters and the situation. You do have to mentally leave behind the play as written and previous productions and approach it as a separate entity but I tend to do that with everything anyway.

Mentally leave behind the play as written??

Sorry to say it did not strike the right tone for me. The whole of the first half was played for laughs. O'Casey does employ humour but not like this.
I just did not feel the poverty and the slum conditions of the Dublin tenements. Characters were reduced to Irish stereotypes - yes Jack Boyle avoids work and is a drinker but it is a bit more complex than that and not a joke. Here the Irish are portrayed as feckless drunks, mindless terrorists or nagging wives. I thought it was lazy.

If you ignore the original play and context then are you really putting on a production of Juno by O'Casey. Or are you using the fame of the play to show a crowd drawing, audience pleasing comedy? The latter imho. It is formulaic and I think it did not work