Sean O'Casey

Arts & Culture

A review - The thing that counts

• 24 April 2006

Taken from the New Statesman archive, 9 February 1935.

To be fair to O’Casey, his review of the published text of the play appeared in the books (or “Current Literature”) pages, and not in “Plays and Pictures”. But he was attacking a sacred cow. Greenwood’s
novel of Love on the Dole, recounting Sally Hardcastle’s hard life and tough choices in Depression-era Salford, was already established as — and would continue to be for many years — a popular favourite. And, despite O’Casey’s strictures, the play, with Wendy Hiller in the lead role, went on to success both in the West End and on Broadway. - Brian Cathcart