THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW is D.H. Lawrence’s portrayal of a marriage in crisis. The play was written in 1913, when Lawrence was still a schoolteacher in Croydon but went unproduced until 1967. Mint first produced Lawrence’s play in 2003 and it remains one of our most popular and successful productions. The New York Times declared when naming it among the Best Productions of the Year. 

This show, which marks a return to live presentation, after almost two years, for the invaluable Mint Theatre Company… and is a prime reflection of the Mint’s mission to shine new light on formidable theatre works—meaty, challenging, intelligent, well crafted—that have fallen into the shadows. Ken Marks, The New Yorker

Set against the background of a pit strike, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW tells the story of Luther Gascoyne, a young miner, and his newly wed wife Minnie, a former governess. The tensions and misunderstandings they suffer as a result of their different backgrounds are exacerbated by the powerful influence of Luther’s mother and brought to open conflict when it is discovered that Luther, before his marriage, has made another woman pregnant. As the labor unrest comes to a boil, so does the simmering conflict between Luther and Minnie.

THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW was neither produced nor published in Lawrence’s lifetime. It first appeared in print in 1965 when a complete edition of Lawrence’s plays was published for the first time. Two years later The Royal Court presented the world premiere of THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. Michael Billington of The Guardian called the play “One of the great British dramas of the 20th century.”

• 1. D.H. LAWRENCE'S YOUNG WISDOM THE NEW YORK TIMES