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Overview

Synopsis

The second of Sean O’Casey’s Dublin plays, Juno and the Paycock tells the story of the Boyle family in the grim slums of Dublin in the early 1920s. Juno, the mother of the family (and the only member who works), desperately tries to hold her family together in the face of adversity and misfortune. However her husband, Jack Boyle, would rather spend his time drinking with his persuasive pal, Joxer, than try to look for work and help the family. When Jack learns that the family is to come into an inheritance, he eagerly anticipates their new found wealth and borrows money from everyone around him to flaunt their new incoming fortune. However, the news of the family’s financial prosperity is short-lived as it emerges that law student, Charlie Bentham, has mistakenly drafted the will in such a way that all of Jack’s cousins have a right to claim their share of the money, leaving very little left for the Boyle family. Bentham flees, leaving Juno and Jack’s daughter, Mary, pregnant with nowhere to turn and the family are destitute once more. When the couple’s son, Johnny, is dragged away and murdered by the Republican soldiers for betraying one of their own, the last nail in the family coffin is sealed. Juno decides to leave her husband and seek a better life with Mary. Tragically, rather than face his demons, Jack Boyle retreats into an alcoholic haze, blocking out the misery of his impoverished, lonely reality.

Show Information

Book
Sean O'Casey
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1924
Genres
Drama
Settings
Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
dublin, 1920s
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
Concord Theatricals
Ideal For
Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Young Adult, Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Juno Boyle

Lead

Female

Spoken

Jack Boyle

Lead

Male

Spoken

Joxer Daly

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mary Boyle

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Johnny Boyle

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mrs. Maisie Madigan

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Charles Bentham

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Jerry Devine

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mrs. Tancred

Featured

Female

Spoken

Needle Nugent

Featured

Male

Spoken

Ensemble

Ensemble

Either Gender

Spoken

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

    The first Irish national theatre to open in December 1904.

    A civil war in the United States fought between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865.

    IRA

    The Irish Republican Army (IRA), a republican paramilitary organization seeking the establishment of a republic and the end of British rule in Northern Ireland.

    A collection of three seperate works that feature some or all of the same characters.

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Guide Written By:

Alexandra Appleton

Alexandra Appleton

Writer, editor and theatre researcher