Written with scurrilous bravura, Richard Bean's great sweep of a comedy follows a pair of star-crossed lovers amid cutters' mobs, Papists, Jewish anarchists and radical Islamists across four tempestuous centuries. "Irish and Jewish, that's the worst mix. You end up with a family of drunk burglars run by a clever accountant."

Richard Bean is one of Britain's most exciting and prolific playwrights. Between 1989 and 1994 he worked as a stand-up comedian and went on to be one of the writers and performers of the sketch show Control Group Six (BBC Radio), which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. His first full length play, Of Rats and Men was staged at the Canal Cafe and went on to Edinburgh. He adapted it for radio for the BBC and it was nominated for a Sony Award. His breakthrough play Toast found critical acclaim at the Royal Court Theatre in 1999. He has also translated and adapted Moliere's The Misanthrope. His recent play One Man, Two Guvnors premiered at The National Theatre in May 2011, to a string of five star reviews, before transferring to the West End and Broadway. One Man, Two Guvnors also won the Critics' Circle and Richard became the first writer to win the Evening Standard Award for Best Play for two plays, The Heretic and One Man, Two Guvnors in 2011.