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The Reader Organisation goes to see Rutherford and Son

Written by Lisa Spurgin, 30th May 2013

From Anna McCracken, Volunteer Manager

rutherford and sonLast Thursday, our Merseyside based volunteers enjoyed a trip out to the Playhouse Theatre in Liverpool to see the play Rutherford and Son, a Northern Broadsides production, edited by patron of The Reader Organisation Blake Morrison.

With excellent hospitality from the Playhouse and a wonderful performance, it was a great chance to thank our brilliant volunteers who give so much time and energy to their roles in admin, assisting in groups, and reading with older people as part of our Big Lottery volunteer project.

Anthony Boardman, a Get Into Reading group member and volunteer, emailed the volunteer team afterwards with this excellent review of the play – we thought we’d share it with you here on The Reader Online:

Firstly I thought from the start the traditional nature of the play, and the introduction to the issues raised through the play were excellent! They confronted issues that may seem alien to some people, but in reality aren't really that uncommon. Money for instance plays a vital role in our ability to survive in these harsh times, not only being able to food on our plates, but to give us a sense of importance and belonging we all crave.

The play was originally wrote by Githa Sowerby in 1912 (who came from the North East) and was later edited by Blake Morrison for the purpose of the play. He stated that though Githa Sowerby was interested in creating a setting recognizable throughout the industrial north, she did not use real place names except in a solitary reference to the Tyne. He also stated that she was able to reflect the dialect of the working-class without making the language inaccessible to the modern audience or appear stereotypical of the time.

The characterisations were acted and portrayed excellently both in context and in emotion. I loved the intensity of the performances and thought that the elderly widowed mother of the worker who stole from Mr Rutherford was my favourite character, but that doesn't mean I thought the other characters weren't portrayed properly, they were equally as driven and passionately about their retrospective roles.

My Favourite Characterisations through the play, and my opinions on them!

Rutherford: a man who epitomises a traditional man with traditional beliefs, whose only motivation is solely driven on maintaining the respect and foundations of the Rutherford name. He's a hard working man who probably believed he was doing what was best for his family; after all was saying that all his hard work was to secure a future for his son.

Rutherford's Son: a man driven to succeed without the aid of his father, determined but a little naïve. He 's like most young lads with ideas about life and how he wants to be treated, but in the end it's his naivety and lack of understanding that ultimately costs him his family, and his inheritance.

Rutherford's Son wife: Wow, what a cunning intelligent and dramatic character. She only reveals her true personality right at the end of the play…

Although I've only mentioned a couple of the characters in the play you can already see just how much I loved it. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!

1 thoughts on “The Reader Organisation goes to see Rutherford and Son

loubyjo says:

Just want to SAY THANK YOU for taking my twin sister (LOUIZ ) to the playhouse and she tells me she enjoyed the play as was well acted an d enjoyed the drink beforehand !! so cheers but their is a rather big BUT COMING up AS THEIR OFTEN IS WITH MY TWIN
LOUIZ tells me the 2nd half of the performance was spoilt by sweet rustling this maybe something very insignificant to a lot of u but she has supersonic senses so what is a minor rustle to someone is like listening to MOUNT ETNA about to erupt to louiz ! and yes she did ERUPT
people may be thinking y go the theatre if don’t like noise but it is not the noise on the stage that is upsetting but the constant wait for the next rustle to her it is like waiting for the next bomb to hit !!

( I realise this is nothing to do with TRO but am appealing to people when they go to the theatre to think about what they are eating ) I realise she can be a pain but she is not the lonely one who feels like this on leaving the theatre she complained about the sweet eater and other people who were complete strangers came over and told the staff they agreed with her !

I have told her off for snatching the sweets off the person but if she decides it is time t o erupt she will , Louiz has gone back to the playhouse where the staff at the theatre were very sympathetic and said they give bowls to put sweets in so do not rustle but not everyone takes them but louiz and the staff realise it is a free country and is just a shame that people cant go something without munching or think about havi ng something to quiet to eat

Myself and Louiz have taken lots of little kids to see stuff who understand that it is fine to eat sweets before the show or in the interval but not whilst on as is rude towards the people on stage and the other theatre goers so if kids can understand this why cant Adults

LOuiz is going to take this further although have told her Cameron is holidaying in IBIZA and the Queen is a bit busy celebrating wearing the same hat for 60 years !

Before leaving you Myself and Louiz realise this is really nothing to do w ith the kindness by TRO taking Louiz out she has gone off as decided to invent something really useful l like rustle free sweet papers

so just think next time you go to the pictures /theatre beware who is siting next to you it could be someone with s upersonic hearing like Louiz and she will NOT STAND FOR IT and nick your sweets thanks again lucy

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