Review: Mrs. Warren’s Profession

George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession tells the story of a series of uncomfortable revelations for a young, Cambridge-educated girl Vivie (Emily Dixon), and the fallout of her relationship with her mother – Mrs. Warren (Emma Taylor). Thematically, the script draws attention to the nature of prostitution and its true causes.

Such a heavy theme requires a degree of sensitivity, and this certainly came across in some fine acting from Taylor and Dixon. But, the real stand-out performance came from Sebastian Carrington-Howell as the amusing but deeply sinister Sir George Crofts; the private meeting between Crofts and Vivie kept an audience member absolutely captivated. Unfortunately, certain members of the cast appeared uncomfortable on stage, and it appeared that they did not know what they were supposed to be doing. Some stronger direction was needed to make the cast feel more confident.

A realist set was a good choice for the production, but in execution seemed lacklustre. The stage area was cramped, forcing the blocking to become square and static, and altogether felt much too small for Venue 1. Granted, it is a tricky space to work with, but not much thought was given to working around the problems. The tables laid out for the audience looked like an afterthought, prompted by a panicked realisation that there was too much space in the venue. They were a quirky addition, and they incorrectly implied an element of meta-theatricality to the show, especially since many entrances were done through the audience.

Ultimately, this show looked more like a work in progress than a finished product, but had the potential to be much better.