Brewing Drama

There are four siblings and an outsider, all vying for the inheritance after the founder dies. No, it isn't Succession, but it is quite delicious, with a period setting to boot. Loosely inspired by the Guinness family, it is set in Ireland at a time when separatist sentiment was strong as was the urge to drown one’s sorrows and tomorrows in a glass (or two or three or more) of beer.

The said progeny are quite a diverse set. There is the daughter, Anne Plunkett (Emily Fairn), trying to keep it together in a loveless marriage; the eldest son Arthur (Anthony Boyle) who loves London and its nightlife a little too much; the middle brother Edward (Louis Partridge) who loves to work; and the youngest brother Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea) who loves to drink. Add to this lot one Sean Rafferty, played with swagger by James Norton. Complicating matters is Arthur’s new wife, who takes a fancy to Rafferty, who reciprocates in full measure. All this while barrels are burned down, strikes are engineered, and sexual acts of all manner are performed, House of Guinness sizzles and sears.