The Plough and the Stars

[KatieMorag]

Just been to see this at The Abbey. I'd never read or seen any of O'Casey's plays before, but if this was typical of his work, all I can say is that he should have stuck with the humour and left the pathos alone. Loved the first half, which was funny, pacey and real. The second half was almost an embarrassment to watch, the tragedy laid on with a trowel.....can't fault the actors, there were some great performances......but once everybody started dying I felt as though I myself was losing the will to live.......

[Rashers]

And here's the full movie of roughly what Katie saw...

The Plough and the Stars is a play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey first performed on February 8, 1926 by the Abbey Theatre in the writer's native Dublin.

[cogito]

Just been to see this at The Abbey. I'd never read or seen any of O'Casey's plays before, but if this was typical of his work, all I can say is that he should have stuck with the humour and left the pathos alone. Loved the first half, which was funny, pacey and real. The second half was almost an embarrassment to watch, the tragedy laid on with a trowel.....can't fault the actors, there were some great performances......but once everybody started dying I felt as though I myself was losing the will to live.......

The production was disappointing... or the play itself ?

[KatieMorag]

The production was disappointing... or the play itself ?

The play, I suppose - though having never seen it before, I had nothing to compare it to. As I said, I thought the acting was really good and the first half was excellent - I actually went out to the interval thinking it was one of the best plays I'd ever seen. I just think it went downhill towards the end of the second half. Too much tragedy in too short a space of time, and too little time for the characters to be developed sufficiently for me to really care if they lived or died.
But that's just my opinion, and I think it's probably a minority one.

[KatieMorag]

And here's the full movie of roughly what Katie saw...

The Plough and the Stars is a play by the Irish writer Seán O'Casey first performed on February 8, 1926 by the Abbey Theatre in the writer's native Dublin.

After watching about 15 minutes of this film, I had to stop. I take back everything I said about the Abbey's stage version......this film is truly awful!

Sorry Rashers, no offence meant to you for putting it up.

[tolka1]

We saw it many yrs ago on a rare visit home at the abbey and it was very well done.

[KatieMorag]

I've just finished reading the play. And I still feel the last act really drags. There's no real momentum to it, it seems very uneven....... it doesn't really build up to a climax. In the version I saw, the scene where Nora and Jack argue, her remonstrating with him to stay at home with her, after which she goes into labour, was very powerful, and I think the play should have been brought to a close shortly after this......the last act ruined it for me.

[dinny]

There are a trilogy of plays by O'Casey based on life in the Dublin slums...Shadow of a Gunman , Juno & the Paycock , Plough and the Stars.....all supposedly very true to life for that period....... also there was a film made in the 1960's based on O'Casey early life growing up in Dublin slums....it's called "Young Cassidy" seen it a couple of times not bad for it's time....probably get it on You Tube...should check it out .....O'Casey is played by an Aussie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ....

[KatieMorag]

There are a trilogy of plays by O'Casey based on life in the Dublin slums...Shadow of a Gunman , Juno & the Paycock , Plough and the Stars.....all supposedly very true to life for that period....... also there was a film made in the 1960's based on O'Casey early life growing up in Dublin slums....it's called "Young Cassidy" seen it a couple of times not bad for it's time....probably get it on You Tube...should check it out .....O'Casey is played by an Aussie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ....

Yes, I've got the trilogy......might give the other two a miss for the time being. Will check out the film, if only for the Aussie accent......

[KatieMorag]

Only managed to watch a preview of it on youtube. I wonder why the poster for "Shadow of a Gunman" which came out in 1923 has his name as John Cassidy as I believe he'd gaelicized it to Sean O'Casey by then, or even why the film is called "Young Cassidy"? Maybe it's not a very accurate account and they used the "English" name to get around that?........

[Nemesis]

He was known as Jack Casey.

[dinny]

When growing up he was known as John Casey and also John Cassidy

[KatieMorag]

Crikey......maybe he had multiple personalities as well........

[dinny]

Crikey......maybe he had multiple personalities as well........

He had personality Disorders

[tolka1]

Not surprised