''Juno and the Paycock'' is a play by

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...

. Highly regarded and often performed in Ireland, it was first staged at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in 1924. It is set in the

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...

s of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

period. The word "paycock" is a colloquial Irish pronunciation of "

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

", which is what Juno accuses her husband of being. It is the second of his "Dublin Trilogy" – the other two being '' The Shadow of a Gunman'' (1923) and ''

The Plough and the Stars ''The Plough and the Stars'' is a four-act play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey that was first performed on 8 February 1926 at the Abbey Theatre. It is set in Dublin and addresses the 1916 Easter Rising. The play's title references the Sta ...

'' (1926).

Plot

Act I

''Juno and the Paycock'' takes place in the

s of

in 1922, just after the outbreak of the

, and revolves around the misfortunes of the dysfunctional Boyle family. The father, "Captain" Jack (so called because of his propensity for telling greatly exaggerated stories of his short career as a merchant seaman), is a loafer who claims to be unable to work because of pains in his legs, which mysteriously appear whenever someone mentions work. Despite his family's poverty, Jack spends all his time and money at the

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

with Joxer Daly, his ne'er-do-well " butty," instead of looking for a job. The mother, Juno (so called because all of the important events in her life took place in June), is the only member of the family currently working, as daughter Mary is on strike and son Johnny is disabled, having lost his arm in the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. Mary feels guilty about dumping her boyfriend and fellow striker, Jerry Devine, who feels more strongly for her than she does for him. Meanwhile, Johnny agonises over his betrayal of his friend Robbie Tancred, a neighbour and former comrade in the IRA, who was subsequently murdered by Free State supporters; Johnny is terrified that the IRA will execute him as punishment for being an

informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

. Near the end of the act, one of Jack's relatives dies, and a schoolteacher, Charles Bentham, brings news that the Boyles have come into a large inheritance; Bentham notes aloud that the

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

names "John Boyle, yfirst cousin, of Dublin" as one of the beneficiaries. Overjoyed with the news, Jack vows to Juno to end his friendship with Joxer and change his ways.

Act II

A mere two days after receiving Mr Bentham's news, Jack has already begun flaunting his newfound wealth by purchasing a new

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

, new furniture, a

gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

, and other luxuries on

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

, in anticipation of receiving the inheritance. The Boyles throw a party and invite Bentham, who is courting Mary. Joxer is present, Jack having already forgotten his vow to break off contact with him, and Mrs Maisie Madigan, a neighbour to whom Jack owes money, shows up after having been invited in Act I. During the party, Robbie Tancred's funeral procession passes the tenement, but the Boyles and their guests halt their carousing only when Tancred's grieving mother stops at their door. Juno goes out to offer support to Mrs Tancred, who delivers a monologue mourning the loss of her son and praying for an end to the war, but Jack selfishly ignores her suffering.

Act III

Two months later, Bentham abruptly ceases all contact with the family and abandons Mary, who, it is revealed, is secretly carrying his child out of wedlock. While Jack is sleeping, Juno takes Mary to the doctor. Soon after they leave, Needle Nugent, the local tailor, storms into the flat and repossesses Jack's suit. Then Mrs Madigan arrives, demanding repayment of the loan she gave Jack; when he refuses to pay, she takes the gramophone as recompense. Joxer (who was present for both incidents, and did nothing to help) needles Jack about rumours that the inheritance is not forthcoming; this soon devolves into an argument during which Joxer openly mocks Jack's fortune as fraudulent. While Johnny upbraids his father for embarrassing the family, Juno returns alone and delivers the news of Mary's pregnancy. As Juno pleads with Jack to use the leftover money from the inheritance to move the family to a different city, he angrily reveals that they will receive nothing due to an error Bentham made while drafting the will (he failed to include the beneficiaries' names, referring to Jack only as " yfirst cousin"). As a result, numerous relations are claiming the inheritance, which is rapidly being eaten up by legal costs; to make matters worse, Bentham has apparently fled the country out of shame. Johnny berates his father for his shortsightedness and avarice. Unable to cope with the stress of the situation, Jack disowns Mary and retreats to the pub to drink with Joxer. Johnny persuades Juno to follow Jack and beg him to come home. Mary returns, and Johnny disowns her as well. Jerry Devine shows up to patch things up with Mary, but he too renounces her when he learns of her pregnancy. As the last of Jack's fancy new furniture is being repossessed, several IRA men arrive and drag Johnny away; Juno later hears from Mrs Madigan that a body resembling Johnny's has been found on a country road, riddled with bullets. Juno decides that Jack will never take on his responsibilities as a father and breadwinner, so she leaves to make a better life for herself and Mary. She sends Mary to live with a relative and, before going to the police station to identify Johnny's body, delivers a monologue that echoes Mrs Tancred's in Act II. Some time later, Jack stumbles home from the pub with Joxer, extremely drunk and unaware that his son is dead or that his wife and daughter have left him. After a brief conversation, Jack accidentally drops his last sixpence on the floor; he drunkenly mourns that "the whole world is in a terrible state o' chassis" before passing out.

Original production

The play was first performed at the Abbey Theatre on 3 March 1924. Cast: *

Sara Allgood Sarah Ellen Allgood (30 October 1880 – 13 September 1950), known as Sara Allgood, was an Irish-American actress. She first studied drama with the Irish nationalist Daughters of Ireland and was at the opening of the Irish National Theatre So ...

as Juno Boyle *

Barry Fitzgerald William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 – 4 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as ''Bringing Up Bab ...

as Captain Jack Boyle * F. J. McCormick as Joxer Daly * Eileen Crowe as Mary Boyle *

Arthur Shields Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film. Early years Born in Portobello, Dublin into a family who were members of the Church of Ireland, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre w ...

as Johnny Boyle * Maureen Delany as Mrs Maisie Madigan * Gabriel J. Fallon as Charles Bentham * P. J. Carolan as Jerry Devine * Christine Murphy as Mrs Tancred * Maurice Esmonde as First Irregular * Michael J. Dolan as Second Irregular / Needle Nugent * Peter Nolan as First Furniture Remover / Sewing Machine Man * Tony Quinn as Second Furniture Remover / Coal-Block Vendor * Irene Murphy and Eileen O'Kelly as Two Neighbours Production team: * Musical Direction: Dr. J. F. Larchet * Producer: Michael J. Dolan * Stage Manager: F. J. McCormick

Quotes

*"I ofen looked up at the sky an' assed meself the question – what is the moon, what is the stars?" – Captain Boyle, Act I *"Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis" – Captain Boyle, Act III, the final line of the play. *"Never tired o' lookin' for a rest" – Juno Boyle, Act I *"it's nearly time we had a little less respect for the dead, an' a little more regard for the living." – Juno Boyle, Act II *"Isn't all religions curious?-if they weren't you wouldn't get anyone to believe in them" – Captain Boyle, Act II *"It'll have what's far better- it'll have two mothers" – Juno Boyle, Act III *"A darlin' (noun), a daarlin' (repeat noun)!" – Joxer's habitual exclamation throughout the play as he trivialises everything *"It doesn't matter what you say, ma – a principle's a principle." – Mary Boyle speaking about the strike *"He ought to be here." – Johnny on Boyle's absence *"Mother o' God, Mother o' God, have pity on us all! Blessed Virgin, where were you when me darlin' son was riddled with bullets, when me darlin' son was riddled with bullets? Sacred Heart o' Jesus, take away our hearts o' stone, and give us hearts o' flesh! Take away this murderin' hate, an' give us Thine own eternal love!" - Juno, final lines, act III

Adaptations

Film

In 1930, a British film adaptation of the play was produced, which was directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

. In the United States, it was also known by the title ''The Shame of Mary Boyle''.

Cast

as The Orator *

Maire O'Neill Maire O'Neill (born Mary Agnes Allgood; 11 January 1886 – 2 November 1952) was an Irish actress of stage and film. She holds a place in theatre history as the first actress to interpret the lead character of Pegeen Mike Flaherty in John Mill ...

as Mrs Maisie Madigan * Edward Chapman as Captain Boyle *

Sidney Morgan Sidney Morgan (2 August 1874 – 11 June 1946) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, producer and actor. He directed 45 films between 1914 and 1937. As an actor, he appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock film ''Juno and the P ...

as "Joxer" Daly *

as Mrs Boyle ("Juno") *

Kathleen O'Regan Kathleen O'Regan (11 November 1903 – 10 December 1970), born Elizabeth Kathleen Melville, was an Irish actress, born in Sligo, best remembered for her roles in the first London performances of '' Juno and the Paycock'' and '' The Plough and t ...

as Mary Boyle *

John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in scores of feature films with directors including Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier, generally p ...

as Johnny Boyle

Television

There are various television adaptations of ''Juno and the Paycock'': * 1938,

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

: starring

as Juno and Harry Hutchinson as Captain Jack. * 1951, BBC TV: starring Shela Ward and John Kelly. * 1952, Canadian TV: starring Nancy Pyper and Frank Peddie. * 1957, BBC TV: starring Peggy Marshall and Liam Redmond. * 1960: US TV, starring

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, includ ...

and

Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...

. * 1974, Swedish TV: ''Skuggan av en hjälte'' (''The shadow of a hero''). * 1980, BBC TV: Starring

Frances Tomelty Frances Tomelty (born 6 October 1948) is a Northern Irish actress whose numerous television credits include ''Strangers'' (1978–1979), '' Testament of Youth'' (1979), ''Inspector Morse'' (1988), '' Cracker'' (1993), '' The Amazing Mrs Pritchar ...

as Juno and

Dudley Sutton Dudley Sutton (6 April 1933 – 15 September 2018) was an English actor. Active in radio, stage, film and television, he was best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the BBC Television comedy/drama series ''Lovejoy''. Early life Sutton was b ...

as Captain Jack.

Radio

At least 11 adaptations have been produced for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. Four of the first five starred

, who previously appeared in Hitchcock's film as Juno's sister Mrs. Maisie Madigan. * 1937, adapted by Patrick Riddell and produced by Peter Creswell. * 1941, adapted by Patrick Riddell and produced by James Mageean. * 1942, adapted by L. A. G. Strong and produced by Joh Burrell. * 1946, adapted by Patrick Riddell and produced by Fred O'Donovan. * 1951, adapted by Patrick Riddell and produced by Fred O'Donovan. * 1957, adapted by Patrick Riddell and produced by John Gibson. * 1962, produced by Sam Langdon. * 1976, produced and directed by Michael Heffernan. * 1980, produced by Prudence Fitzgerald and directed by Roger Chevely. * 1997, directed by Pam Brighton. The most recent production was broadcast 16 November 2014 on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

, adapted and directed by Peter Kavanagh with: *

Sorcha Cusack Sorcha Cusack (; born 9 April 1949) is an Irish television and stage actress. Her numerous television credits include playing the title role in ''Jane Eyre'' (1973), '' Casualty'' (1994–1997), ''Coronation Street'' (2008) and '' Father Brown' ...

as Juno Boyle * Stanley Townsend as Captain Boyle * John Kavanagh as Joxer * Beth Cooke as Mary Boyle * Rory Fleck Byrne as Johnny Boyle * Michele Moran as Maisie Madigan

Sound recordings

O'Casey "Recorded at his home in Totnes, Devon on November 12, 1952" the play's opening and closing scenes. These were issued on LP by Caedmon Records in the US, coupled with similar extracts from his autobiographies ''Inishfallen, Fare Thee Well'' (1949) and ''Pictures in the Hallway'' (1942). Caedmon also released a 1960 7" in the UK, just containing the ''Juno'' readings. A full recording of the play was made by Cyril Cusack Productions in June 1955, in association with the

, Dublin. It was issued as a boxed double LP by

Angel Records Angel Records was a record label founded by EMI in 1953. It specialised in European classical music, classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score. and one Peter Sellers comedy disc. The famous Recording Angel trademark ...

and regular LP by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in the UK. In the US, it was originally issued by

Seraphim Records Seraphim Records is the sister record label, label of Angel Records. History During the 1960s through the 1980s, it was Angel's low-price label; recordings that had originally been released on the Angel label were re-released at a bargain price o ...

and reissued in 1973 by Caedmon Records. The performance has a spoken introduction by O'Casey. The cast includes: * Séamus Caomhánach as Captain Jack *

Siobhán McKenna Siobhán McKenna (; 24 May 1922 – 16 November 1986) was an Irish stage and screen actress. Early life She was born Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith in Belfast in the newly created Northern Ireland into a Catholic and nationalist family. ...

as Juno Boyle *

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

as Joxer Daly * Maire Kean as Mrs. Maisie Madigan * Leo Leyden as Jonny Boyle *

Maureen Cusack Maureen Cusack (24 November 1920 – 18 December 1977) was an Irish actress. She was born in 1920 in Glenties, County Donegal, Ireland as Mary Margaret Kiely. She was married to Irish actor Cyril Cusack and they had five children Sinéad, Sorc ...

as Mary Boyle * Harry Brogan as "Needle" Nugent, a tailor

Musical

A musical adaptation of the play, titled '' Juno'', was created by

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and Libretto, librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-Trade union, union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, ...

(music, lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book) and opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

on 9 March 1959.

Shirley Booth Shirley Booth (born Marjory Ford; August 30, 1898October 16, 1992) was an American actress. One of 24 performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, Booth was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. ...

starred as Juno Boyle and

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy '' Ninotchka'' ( ...

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.

Cast

as Juno Boyle *

as Captain Boyle *

Jack MacGowran John Joseph MacGowran (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor. He was known for being one of the foremost stage interpreters of the work of Samuel Beckett and Seán O'Casey. He was also known to film audiences for his roles as ...

as Joxer *

Tommy Rall Thomas Edward Rall (December 27, 1929 – October 6, 2020) was an American actor, ballet dancer, tap dancer, and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies. He later became a successful operatic tenor in the ...

as Johnny Boyle

References

External links

* The full text of
Juno and the Paycock
' at

HathiTrust Digital Library HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digiti ...

Andrew E. Malone:''Ireland Gives a new Playwright to the World''
* * {{Authority control 1924 plays Hawthornden Prize–winning works Irish plays adapted into films Plays by Seán O'Casey Plays set in Dublin (city)