The Daughter-in-Law
For nearly three decades the Mint Theater has been reviving forgotten plays. With one exception I have seen every production since 2007. This troupe can be counted on for exquisitely detailed presentations of thought provoking concerns from yesteryear. D.H. Lawrence’s The Daughter-in-Law is the first one to be revived a second time; the first was a success in 2003.
The English setting is a coal miner’s district in 1912. Rising dissatisfaction has led to a national strike vote. The walkout is to begin in six days. Mr. Lawrence takes the action inside a family home. Much of the storytelling takes place around the dining room table in the days before televisions and technology. The glimpse is into a bygone era yet the issues are timeless.
Luther and Joe are the sons of Mrs. Gascoyne. They are miners with soot and a broken arm worn as badges of honor. A neighbor stops over with some distressing news. Her daughter is pregnant. Newly married Luther had dalliances with her a few months prior. What to do?
The scheming, domineering mother has some ideas despite her contemptuous relationship with her daughter-in-law. Plots are hatched. Layers are peeled away from the outer shells of these characters. Internal uncertainties bubble to the surface and an intriguing drama unfolds.
The Daughter-in-Law is written in an East Midlands dialect known as Ilson, a combination of Old English with lingering Norse influences from centuries of Viking rule. The barely literate men contrast starkly with the better educated daughter of the title. Some fellow theatergoers seemed to struggle with understanding the accents. A helpful program glossary illuminates the period terminology. I had no problem following along and felt immersed in this family’s tribulations.
Why did this woman marry him? On one level this play is about women and choices in an era where they suffocate in domesticity. The beauty of this piece is the frankness of how this material is discussed. Mr. Lawrence saw life as it was and did not censor reality. Famous for his controversial style in novels such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover, he pushed boundaries.
This particular work was never produced in his lifetime. He wrote eight plays and only two were mounted in very small scale productions. In the 1960’s, four decades after he died, the Royal Court presented three of them. They were finally hailed as realistic masterpieces of English working-class life.
A 2022 staging is interesting timing. The author was quieted due to his frank discussion of truthful realities that large segments of society wanted buried. America’s current climate is awfully similar. The contrast of considering century old dynamics against the world today is definitely part of the Mint DNA. You appreciate the play and the production but also the historical relevance which is shockingly not so dated.
High quality is synonymous with the Mint Theater. The Daughter-in-Law is no exception. Everything is fine from the acting and direction to the sets, costumes and lighting which are perfectly proportioned in the intimate City Center Stage II space. A dusty old relic sparkles back to life once again.
The Daughter-in-Law is running through March 20, 2022.