'Rutherford and Son' at the National Theatre

'Rutherford and Son' is the latest revival at the National Theatre, a play from 1912 by Githa Sowerby, partially based on her own family experiences in Gateshead. It's the tale of old man Rutherford who rules his factory and his home with an iron will, dominating everyone around him, alienating his children and, as the local 'big man' keeping his family a step above everyone else.  This isn't good for anyone except him.

We meet Rutherford's eldest son that he's sent to Eton for a posh education and that ruins him - he has grown up with all sorts of expectations but none of the skills to achieve those. He's married beneath him, in his father's eyes, and it seems that he didn't marry for love, but only because he got his wife pregnant. We meet his daughter who is there solely to look after the house and her father, kneeling before him to take off his boots on command, alienated from the other local young folk but looking for a life of her. And we met the youngest son, who has become a member of the clergy but is laughed at by the locals. Rutherford also has a widowed sister and the foreman of the factory who he treats more like a son than his own sons.

The play is claustrophobic and tense, an intake of breath held far too long as the family wrangles and submissions continue until too much is said and done. The youngest son escapes in the early morning without saying goodbye and the eldest sone steals from his father's safe and leaves his wife and baby son to the mercy of his father. The daughter is banished for daring to have an affair with the factory foreman, who is also sacked. The daughter has nowhere to go since her lover doesn't come to her aid, but still bravely marches out into the world to create her own future. That only leaves the daughter-in-law who shows that someone in the family has some spine but I won't spoil it for you.

I'm pleased the National Theatre chose to revive this play, give it an airing and reacquaint theatre-goers with the work of Githa Sowerby - I'm very pleased to have seen this powerful drama. Roger Allam was great as the domineering father and I liked Justine Mitchell as the daughter. It's always nice to see Harry Hepple who had the minor role of the youngest son and Anjana Vasan as the strong daughter-in-law with brains and a spine was excellent. It was a very strong ensemble performance from all of the cast.