Learn more about Mark Rylance's stage roles ahead of 'Juno and the Paycock'

The acclaimed actor is back in the West End for a much-anticipated revival of Séan O’Casey’s play at the Gielgud Theatre, co-starring J Smith-Cameron.

There are few actors as revered as Mark Rylance. He has conquered stage, TV, and film, racketing up numerous awards in the process, including two Olivier Awards, three Tonys, two BAFTAs, and an Oscar. It’s always exciting to see what he’ll do next – and the great news for London theatregoers is that his latest project sees him return to the West End.

Rylance will star in a major revival of Séan O’Casey’s play Juno and the Paycock, which takes place in Dublin in the 1920s during the Irish Civil War. Rylance plays “Captain” Jack, the titular paycock (or “peacock”), who tells tall tales about his time as a merchant seaman – when he’s not down the pub.

The production also stars J Smith-Cameron. She’s best known to British audiences as Gerri in the hit TV series Succession, but she is also a Tony-nominated theatre actress. Matthew Warchus directs this production at London’s Gielgud Theatre.

Ahead of your trip, get to know all about Rylance’s impressive work on stage, from Shakespeare to contemporary drama and even farce.

Book Juno and the Paycock tickets on London Theatre.

The Tempest and Peter Pan, 1982-4

Rylance began his association with the Royal Shakespeare Company by impressing in two ethereal roles: the enslaved sprite Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the titular airborne character in Peter Pan.

Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, 1989

Rylance graduated to playing major roles with the RSC, notably a moving Hamlet and a passionate Romeo. He toured the UK and Ireland with Hamlet before playing the part in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Much Ado About Nothing, 1993

Rylance played the lead role of Benedick, the adamant bachelor whose friends trick him into wooing the equally stubborn Beatrice, in Matthew Warchus’s production. This performance won Rylance his first Olivier Award.

True West, 1994

Rylance starred as Lee, the free-spirited, swaggering, volatile brother to struggling screenwriter Austin, in Sam Shepard’s explosively funny play, again directed by Warchus, at the Donmar Warehouse.

Life x 3, 2000

Rylance was part of the original cast of the English-language debut of Yasmin Reza’s play Life x 3, along with Harriet Walter, Imelda Staunton, and Oliver Cotton. Warchus directed this acclaimed comedy at the National Theatre.

Boeing-Boeing, 2007-8

Warchus also helmed the smash-hit West End revival of 1960s farce Boeing-Boeing, about a womanizer engaged to three different stewardesses. Rylance then reprised his role on Broadway and won a Tony; the starry cast featured Christine Baranski, Bradley Whitford, Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack, and Kathryn Hahn.

Jerusalem, 2009-12 and 2022

Rylance became synonymous with the extraordinary character of Johnny “Rooster” Byron in Jez Butterworth’s acclaimed modern classic. After the play’s Royal Court premiere, it went to the West End and Broadway, with Rylance winning the Olivier and the Tony. Rylance then returned to the role a decade later for another hit West End run.

La Bête, 2010-11

Rylance starred in the West End revival of David Hirson’s La Bête, an 18th-century-set comedy using iambic pentameter. David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley allowed featured in the cast, and the show transferred to Broadway.

Nice Fish, 2013, 2016-17

Rylance co-wrote this quirky comedy with Louis Jenkins, adapting it from the latter’s poetry. Following its premiere in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the production (which also starred Rylance) played in the West End and at St Ann’s Warehouse in New York.

Richard III and Twelfth Night, 2012-14

Rylance was the artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe from 1995-2005, and he returned in 2012 for two magnificent all-male productions which he then took into the West End and to Broadway. Rylance was unforgettable as a flirtatious Olivia and a despotic Richard III, winning another Tony for the former.

Farinelli and the King, 2015 and 2017-18

Rylance often worked with his composer wife Claire van Kampen, most effectively on this original show about King Philip V of Spain, who suffered from depression and mental illness, and the famous castrato Farinelli. It began at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and became another West End and Broadway hit.

Dr Semmelweis, 2022-23

Unfortunately topical due to the pandemic, Rylance played the medical innovator Dr Semmelweis, who realised germs were killing patients and tried to convince his colleagues to wash their hands. This powerful Bristol Old Vic production transferred to the West End.

Juno and the Paycock, 2024

Rejoice! Rylance is back on stage in what promises to be one of the theatrical treats of the year, teaming up with J Smith-Cameron for a West End revival of Séan O’Casey’s extraordinary play. Don’t wait too long to book for this one – it’s a seriously hot ticket.

Book Juno and the Paycock tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credits: Simon Annand, Manuel Harlan, Teddy Wolff, and Joan Marcus.