Stripped-back reworking of O’Casey classic is diverting but a little slight

Joxer Daly Esq

Mermaid Theatre, Bray

On tour

Rating:***

In his 1923 play Juno and the Paycock, Sean O’Casey sheds light on the complexity of political loyalties during the Anglo Irish War. The protagonists are the titular domestic team: the hardworking, martyred Juno and her feckless drunken husband Captain Boyle.

As they negotiate the challenges posed by their children - disillusioned soldier, Johnny, and his sister Mary, who finds herself scandalously pregnant - ...