Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Albuquerque/Santa Fe


Regional Reviews

Juno and the Paycock
The Vortex Theatre

Also see Dean's review of Fiddler on the Roof


Phil Shortell and Colleen McClure
The second Southwest Irish Theater Festival opens at the Vortex Theatre with Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock, one of the two or three most famous Irish plays ever. Just what qualifies as an "Irish" play is a little up in the air. Shaw, Wilde, and Beckett were all born and raised in Dublin, but almost nobody considers their plays Irish plays. On the other hand, with O'Casey, there's no doubt.

It would be hard to imagine a play more Irish than this one. All the tropes (almost clichés by now) are here: the saintly, put-upon mother; the feckless, blarney-spewing father who drinks too much; death at the hands of the British or fellow Irishmen; unwed motherhood and the shame attached to it; a love-hate relationship with the Catholic Church; a gift for gabbing away and bursting into song; a susceptibility to ghosts (the best scene in the play, in my opinion); a persistent pessimism that the Irish can ever change for the better; and a grudging admiration and affection for them just as they are. Maybe this is the play that introduced these things to our consciousness.

Apparently, nothing like it had been put on stage before, in Ireland at least. Premiering in 1924, it was very of-the-moment, being set just a year or two before, during the Irish Civil War, the conflict between those who wanted a unified independent Ireland and those who accepted the partition into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State that had occurred in 1921. The play does go on a bit here and there (would it be Irish if it didn't?), and the very last scene is anticlimactic, but for the most part it builds effectively and is captivating all the way through.

It's better if you don't know the plot. Suffice it to say, what starts as a comedy takes a very bleak turn. The Boyle family (Captain Jack, Juno, Johnny, and Mary) are cursed, but why? If this were a Greek tragedy, we would learn that one of them or one of their ancestors did something to offend the gods, and the whole family must suffer. But here, their fault seems to be mainly that they are Irish and poor. (Of course, Captain Jack is largely responsible for their destitution.)

Brian Hansen, the director, has assembled a cast with depth, as evidenced by the fact that some of Albuquerque's best actors (Tyler Alan Strand, Vern Poitras, and Jim Cady) have only cameo roles. Shangreaux Lagrave is fine as Joxer, the sidekick role, and he's always fun to watch as he forages for any bit of food or liquor he can steal. Carla Cafolla, in a brief part, is impressive, considering that it's her first time on stage. Linda Williams is very good, as usual, as the raucous neighbor Mrs. Madigan. Caroline Graham is natural and touching as Mary, although her accent wavers a bit. Larry Pratt, Tom Pentecost, and Kim Clarke are good in smaller parts.

I'm less impressed by Jacob Clark as Johnny, who starts out well but ends up overacting, and what happened to his accent? Likewise, Kevin McGuire, who doesn't overact, but seems uncomfortable on stage, and also has a wobbly accent. I hate to make such a big deal about the accents, but I can't help but be distracted when they are inconsistent among the cast, and especially when they are inconsistent within a single actor. One sentence sounds like they're in Ireland, and the next sentence puts them back in the States.

The two leads, though, cannot be faulted in any way. Phil Shortell as Captain Jack is excellent, as he has been in everything I've seen him in. Perfect for the role of Juno is Colleen McClure, who gives the performance of a lifetime (sometimes a cliché is appropriate). Totally natural in her interpretation, she is the soul of Ireland, and her final scene is a killer, both for her and for the audience. If for no other reason, go see this show for this performance.

Whoever did the set (uncredited in the program) deserves congratulations. Likewise to Carolyn Hogan for the costumes, Marcelle Cady for props, Brian MacNamara for the lighting, and Becky Mayo for choosing some beautiful music and songs. Brian Hansen directs naturally and effectively.

A note about the title: "Paycock" is "peacock". Here, it refers to Captain Jack. Juno talks about him strutting around like a paycock. This is a mythological reference to Juno (Hera in Greek), the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and marriage and motherhood. Her sacred bird was the peacock. What exactly this has to do with the play, I'm not too sure. Juno might be Juno, but Captain Jack sure is no Jupiter.

Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey is being presented at the Vortex Theatre in Albuquerque through April 6, 2014. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00. Info at vortexabq.org or 505-247-8600.


Photo: Alan Mitchell Photography

--Dean Yannias