Mrs Warren's Profession

SYNOPSIS

Mrs Warren's Profession

Last year, audiences witnessed Felicity Kendal appear onstage in a new production of “Mrs Warren’s Profession” at the Theatre Royal Bath. It proved to be a great success and would soon be joining a range of productions that have started out life at the Somerset venue and made the transition to the West End.

Its West End home takes the form of the Comedy Theatre, which opens its doors to the same creative team when it appears from March 2010. It also retains its lead star of Felicity Kendal who will continue to play the woman with the questionable profession when it runs until June.

George Bernard Shaw’s 1894 play casts a scornful eye at 19th century Victorian morals and casts a particularly damning glance at the hypocrisies and questionable values of the era. To do so, it portrays the relationship between mother and daughter, in this case Mrs Warren and her daughter Vivie. The two have never really been that close and Vivie does not know much about her parent, except that she could afford to support her all her life by paying for her Cambridge education and sending her a monthly income. It is this stability that has meant Vivie can look forward to a high flying career in the legal sector. However, Vivie is horrified when she discovers the questionable source of her mother’s income and realises that her whole life has been supported by something she does not believe in.

The show was one of many stories to fall victim to Lord Chamberlain’s laws at the turn of the century. It meant that whilst it was penned in 1894, it would be another three decades before it could be staged. Whilst it was banned, a New York performance took place in 1905 and this led to many people being arrested, but whilst the authorities of the time stamped down on “Mrs Warren’s Profession”, it would go on to stand the test of time and appear to this day.

Its star Felicity Kendal is sure to attract a large number of people to the Comedy Theatre this year. The star of “The Good Life” has many fans and has appeared in numerous television and stage productions over a long career. In addition to “The Good Life” she has appeared in “Rosemary & Thyme”, “Honey for Tea”, “Solo” and “The Mistress”. For the stage her credits include “The Humble Boy” in 2002, “Amy’s View” in 2006 and “The Vortex” in 2008, whilst her early career included many productions from Tom Stoppard, including “The Real Thing” (1982), “Arcadia” (1993) and “Indian Ink” (1995).

“Mrs Warren’s Profession” makes its appearance at the Comedy Theatre from Thursday 25th March 2010 (previews from Tuesday 16th March 2010) to Saturday 19th June 2010.