Movies - Juno and the Paycock

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Juno and the Paycock

	Movies - Juno and the Paycock

Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, the second of his well-known "Dublin Trilogy". It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in 1922, during the Irish Civil War.

Plot

"Juno and the Paycock" is one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It concerns the Boyle family, who live in the Dublin tenements. The father, Captain Jack Boyle, constantly tries to evade work by pretending to have pains in his legs, and spends all his money at the pub with his "butty", Joxer Daly. The mother, Juno, is the only member of the family working, as the daughter Mary is on strike, and the son, Johnny, lost his arm in the Irish War of Independence. Johnny betrayed a comrade in the IRA, and is afraid that he will be executed as punishment. A distant relative dies, and a solicitor, Mr. Bentham, brings news that the family has come into money. The family buys goods on credit, and borrow money from neighbours with the intent of paying them back when the fortune arrives.

In the third act tragedy befalls the Boyle family. Mr. Bentham, who had been courting Mary, ceases all contanct with the family, and it becomes apparent that no money will be forthcoming. As the borrowed goods are being taken back, Mr. and Mrs. Boyle learn that Mary has been impregnated by Mr. Bentham. Captain Boyle goes with Joxer to a pub to spend the last of his money. While he is gone, Mrs. Boyle learns that her son, Johnny, has been killed. Mary and Juno leave to live with Juno's siter and Captain Boyle returns to the stage drunk, unaware of his son's death.

Quotes

"I ofen looked up at the sky an' assed meself the question - what is the stars, what is the stars?"-Captain Boyle, Act I

"Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis!"- Captain Boyle,Act III

Adaptations

In 1930, a British film adaptation of the play was produced. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and featured Edward Chapman and Sara Allgood. This is one of Hitchcock's early films. Although most of the dialogue is taken directly from O'Casey's stage play, the ending is changed.

A musical adaptation of the play, titled Juno, was created by Marc Blitzstein (music, lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book), and opened on Broadway in 1959. Shirley Booth starred as Juno Boyle, and Melvyn Douglas as the Captain. The musical version was a flop, closing after 16 performances, but Blitzstein's score was preserved on the original cast album and is today considered one of the composer's masterpieces. O'Casey gave his blessing to the project, but never saw the production.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Juno and the Paycock ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Juno and the Paycock; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay