Big Maggie by John B Keane is modern Irish classic. It is set in 1960s rural Ireland and is a compelling portrait of a woman who is determined to take control of her life following the death of her husband.

Shocking for its time – the play premiered in 1969 –Keane painted a portrait of the dark side of Irish family life with Maggie as a complex figure, far from the clichés of the nurturing 'Irish Mammy'. It is an enormously entertaining and often funny play but with an underlying sense of sadness and tragedy.