Mixed Marriage

By Robert Iles - 31st Oct 2011

As the city's factories come out on strike, John Rainey, the respected head of a Protestant family, acts to calm the sectarian tension being stirred up by politicians for their own ends. On the streets, Rainey successfully unites Catholic and Protestant against the machinations of the factory owners, the nationalists and the Orangemen. But at home, passions rise when Rainey discovers that his son wants to marry the beautiful, innocent Nora, a Catholic...

Set in Ireland before partition, Mixed Marriage is a poetic tragedy – leavened with earthy humour – which dissects class and religious sectarianism through the breakdown of one ordinary family. It was a groundbreaking success in its time and established Ervine as a great Irish writer.

A beautifully realised production from the ever-successful rediscoveries we have come to expect from the Finborough Theatre. A tight ensemble cast energise this simple yet profound tale of family loyalty versus religious rigor.