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A shout from without
LYNNE WALSH regrets that unity is denied to a fine cast let down by the baffling spectacle of a poor lead performance
WILL YE STOP OVER-ACTING? Paul Hilton (Joxer Daly) and Mark Rylance ('Captain' Jack Boyle) in Juno And The Paycock [Manuel Harlan]

Juno and the Paycock
Gielgud Theatre, London

CAN you hear that spinning sound, ma chara? That’ll be the genius playwright Sean O’Casey rolling in his imagined grave.

The cause lies in this latest iteration of his trailblazing work, first performed a century ago.

It should be said that there are some four and five-star performances in this production. Unfortunately, its biggest name, the much-lauded Mark Rylance does not deliver one. Instead, his is a baffling spectacle, a mumbling, eye-rolling extravaganza, manifesting the alcoholic bully “Captain” Jack Boyle as a rather exhausting caricature.

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