On the 19th of October all the Transition Year students were brought on a English Trip to see the play “Juno and the Paycock” by Seán O’Casey in the Abbey Theatre. Some students had high expectations for the play, unfortunately others didn’t. I have to admit I was one of those students. I didn’t particularly enjoy studying the play in class. I found it very difficult to sit down and read a play without it being dramatised and therefore didn’t understand the messages the other students comprehended. However after seeing the play I know why the other students enjoyed studying the play so much.
The acting contributed greatly to the effectiveness of the play. I give all my gratitude to Alastair Coomer and Kelly Phelan the (Casting Directors) because it was such a highly talented cast. Each member of the cast captured the uniqueness of each character and managed to stay true to the character throughout the play. When each character had a line to deliver they managed to deliver it clearly prenonciated to the audience but remained true to the accent of the character. While many characters stood out, it would be unfair not to mention the extremely talented Ciarán Hinds who portrayed “Captain Jack Boyle” brilliantly. You may have recognised this actor from the movies “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Debt” which are both currently in the cinemas.
I enjoyed the way in which all the scenes of the play, the set and the two-roomed tenancy of the Boyle Family remained the same. Whatever issues or messages were brought up were dealt within the same setting. Therefore sadness, humour, violence and joy filled the atmosphere of the Boyle residence. What added to the dramatic effect of the setting was the lighting. Thanks to James Farncombe (lighting designer), from the audience perspective it was clearly evident to point out the mood of each scene. For example the last scene in Act One where Bentham arrives into the Boyle Residence announcing the news of Mr Ellison of Santry’s death and the will he proclaimed he wrote, the lighting was very bright and mellow capturing the happiness of the Boyle Family. I found this feature to the play very effective.
I feel the theme of poverty dominates the play. The play highlights the irony that while many people were fighting for various principles, there was those who were also suffering from the effects of the poverty. When it becomes clear that the Boyles will not inherit Mr Ellison of Santry’s legacy, the cruel effects of poverty begin to have a dramatic effect on each of the characters, for example, Bentham disappears leaving Mary all alone to have her baby.
Seán O’Casey gave us a true insight into the life of 1920’s Dublin. Did you know that in the 1900’s one third of population lived in single rooms in tenement houses? Also the typical family size in a room of a Dublin tenement was 8-12. Now the average Irish family has 1.4 children. From this play I can truly understand the difficulties of Irish life in 1920’s Ireland.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see this play being dramatised because my previous attitude towards it would not have changed.
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