Mrs Warren’s Profession Review: Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter Battle It Out as Mother and Daughter

Imelda Staunton and Jenny Seagrove, the great pretenders

Two of our British theatre’s finest are outstanding in Mrs Warren's Profession and The Anastasia File

Mrs Warren’s Profession review: Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter battle it out as mother and daughter

Imelda Staunton and real-life daughter Bessie Carter go toe-to-toe in this polished, throaty version of George Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession – a Victorian era play once deemed so scandalous it was banned for nine years by the Lord Chamberlain before earning its first performance in 1902.Its crime? Why, a nuanced and sympathetic depiction of women, of course.The episode follows the patchy relationship of Vivie and Mrs Warren during the l…

Mrs Warren’s Profession review; 'why does it feel so mechanical?'

Imelda Staunton stars opposite her real life daughter Bessie Carter in a George Bernard Shaw production that tends to drag even with huge cuts

In Mrs Warren's Profession, Imelda Staunton outshines her real-life daughter

Imelda Staunton and director Dominic Cooke have enjoyed a most fruitful working relationship in recent years. First of all, Staunton starred in Cooke’s production of the Sondheim musical Follies at the National. Then, last year, she bagged her fifth Olivier Award for her phenomenal turn in his revival of Hello, Dolly!.This latest outing doesn’t quite manage to complete a hat-trick of undisputed triumphs, but it is never less than a fascinating e…

Review: Mrs Warren's Profession - southlondon.co.uk

Bessie Carter sizzles haughtily in her ‘splendidly modern’ role It is difficult to see why Mrs Warren’s Profession – such an innocent play to our eyes now – was once banned, writes Michael Holland. George Bernard Shaw’s play was written in 1893 and banned until 1925 but has been performed many times since. This production has all the ingredients for something great: the writer, the director Dominic Cooke, a cast that includes Bessie Carter, Robe…