Rutherford and Son. This item is unavailable.Rutherford and Son

First staged in 1912 and described as the most powerful play produced in England in this decade," Githa Sowerby's Edwardian classic on family and labour enjoyed huge success in London and New York

Set in the North Yorkshire home of the oppressive patriarch John Rutherford, Rutherford and Son's portrayal of the father's obsession with glass manufacturing business and his tyranny over the wrecked lives of his family is on a par with the dramas of Ibsen, Gorky and Granville Barker.

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Githa Sowerby's 1912 play Rutherford and Son was an instant hit when it opened. The play addressed the Newcastle glass industry, capitalism and family politics. Interestingly, Sowerby's gender was concealed from audiences. Following the success of Rutherford and Sons however, she only produced a handful of plays, and it's her debut that remains her most famous.