Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Max Stafford-Clark
Co-production with Mrs Worthington’s Daughters
Dates Performed
Tuesday 17th June 1980
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Play Details
Synopsis
A dimly lit, austere living room in a northern industrial town, where the Rutherford family’s tensions simmer beneath a veneer of respectability.
John Rutherford, the domineering patriarch of a glass-making dynasty, rules his household and business with an iron fist. As his children John, Richard, and Janet struggle against his oppressive control, a battle for the future of Rutherford’s glassworks unfolds. When young John develops a revolutionary formula for the family business, it ignites a powder keg of long-suppressed resentments and desires for freedom.
Githa Sowerby’s groundbreaking play examines the corrosive effects of capitalism and patriarchy on family relationships. Through sharp dialogue and masterful character development, she dissects the class dynamics and gender inequalities of Edwardian society. The bleak industrial setting mirrors the emotional landscape of the characters, trapped between duty and personal fulfillment. As secrets unravel and alliances shift, Rutherford and Son offers a searing critique of the human cost of maintaining a family legacy.
Cast & Creative
Cast
Geof Atwell
Cast
Stuart Barren
Cast
Stacey Charlesworth
Cast
Anne Engel
Cast
Peter Glancy
Cast
Stephen Ley
Cast
Maggie Wilkinson
Designer
Mary Moore
What our readers say
In this three-act play, set over four days in one location, the narrative delves into the challenges faced by women in the early 20th century. It highlights family tensions, the push for feminism, and the impact of industrial changes on society.
What is it like reading this play now?
The play feels really fresh in its gender politics way ahead of the time it was written. It depicts the economic change as early capitalism rises and highlights the effects of this change via the personal perspectives of one family.
What does it tell us about the past and the present?
Looking back at the beginning of production and the rise of capitalism from our present late capitalism and a useful way of reflecting how our economy evolved into a dysfunctional system. It also highlights how far we have come with gender politics, and gives space to complex female characters which is exciting to read in a text written over a hundred years ago.
If you like this play, you might also like…?
Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood, Rules for Living by Sam Holcroft, The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov, Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale, and The Wild Duck by Ibsen
