The Broken Jug, John Banville's first venture for the stage, is a translation of Der Zerbrochene Krug by Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811).

The setting has moved, however, from the original's Netherlands to famine-stricken Ballybog.

In this cleverly calculated comedy — one of the best in German literature — a corrupt magistrate is forced to preside over a trial for a crime he himself has committed. John Banville presents Judge Adam's twists and turns before the visiting inspector with expected wit and coolness and dresses them in surprisingly spritely verse.