In 1893 George Bernard Shaw wrote Mrs. Warren's Profession. Dealing with prostitution, the marginalisation of women and the viciousness of capitalism, it is not surprising that it shocked and offended the powers that be. Indeed, that was the very reaction that Shaw was seeking from people, for he deeply believed in the importance of theatre as an instrument to create social awareness. What may be more surprising, however, is how the playwright's concerns still continue to resonate. Faced with a choice between working in a white lead factory and probably dying as a result, or of using her entrepreneurial skills in the world's oldest profession, Mrs. Warren chooses the latter. However, later in life she is faced with a daughter who sees her practical, hypocrisy-hating mother as simply another exemplar of the system that exploits women and perpetuates the every-man-for-himself ethic that motivates society. Yet, is this moralising daughter only able to afford such scruples because of her mother's choices? Shaw sets up a dilemma that he will later explore further in works like Major Barbara. It is a conundrum that still bedevils society as we continue to bemoan, and to benefit from, the exploitation of others. Director Dominic Cooke has managed to nicely stage Shaw's thought-provoking, but sometimes loquacious and definitely didactic, early work in a way that keeps the audience engrossed despite the lack of an interval, and he is beautifully supported in this endeavour by two amazing performances from Imelda Staunton as the redoubtable Mrs. Warren and by her real life daughter, Bessie Carter, as the equally strong-minded Vivie. Kevin Doyle as the hypocritical Rev. Gardner and Robert Glenister as the cynical Sir George Crofts also put in strong performances, but as with most Shaw plays, the experience is about the engagement with the playwright and with the challenge he throws down to his audiences.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Johan Persson
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