The Irish Civil War of 1922-23 provides a backdrop of political unrest and social upheaval that amplifies the struggles of the working-class characters in Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock. The Boyle family lives in squalor, with Captain Jack’s laziness and alcoholism contributing to their financial struggles while his wife Juno works tirelessly to provide for the family. When the family receives news of an unexpected inheritance, their hopes rise and they dream of a better life. However, their newfound fortune soon proves illusory, and their lives become entangled in a web of betrayal, deceit, and tragedy.

With humor and tragedy, O’Casey depicts the harsh realities of life in a war-torn society and the impact of ideological divides within a single family. Of the first performances of DruidO’Casey in Galway, Ireland in July, The Arts Review observed, “To see one of O’Casey’s classics is to be astonished at the manner in which he courageously articulated, challenged, and shared an emerging Ireland. To see all three together is to go deeper and ask how far have we traveled, or failed to? Many of the questions raised by O’Casey prov[e] prescient, and alas, still relevant.”

This performance is part of Seán O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, which includes The Plough and the Stars, The Shadow of a Gunman, and Juno and the Paycock. Get tickets to all three performances and save.