The National Theatre Live’s screening of Mrs. Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw arrives next week in select Australian cinemas. Shaw penned this controversial piece of social commentary in 1893, but it wasn’t allowed to be performed until 1902. Why? Because Mrs. Warren’s profession just so happens to be the ‘oldest profession on earth’. And one that was a little too spicy for the Victorian palate.
The play tells the story of Mrs Kitty Warren, a former prostitute turned brothel owner, and Vivie Warren, her daughter. Vivie, raised in boarding schools, has just graduated from Cambridge. Her pragmatic focus is career, self-advancement and independence. Kitty comes from a very different world – one where poverty and limited options meant a woman could either make herself or get made.
Dominic Cooke directs the play within a circular English country garden set. The truth gradually unfolds as Vivie learns about her mother’s illicit past. We’re initially lulled into a false sense of security that the sacred mother-daughter bond will win through. Vivie understands that her mother was acting out of need rather than choice. That changes when she learns her wealthy mother still runs the business, long after need has passed. We’re then spiralled into a philosophical and moral battle.
One moment, Mrs. Warren’s justifications about the way the world works and the limited possibilities for women make sense. We’re outraged at high society’s hypocrisy – complicit in objectifying women yet hiding it behind a veil of secrecy. Vivie’s privilege reminds us: moral outrage is a luxury reserved for those with choices.
The next moment, we’re swayed by Vivie’s determination to reject her mother’s riches and make her own way with hard work and a clear conscience. Her mother now sustains the same system that once exploited her desperation.
No stronger can the conflicting roles imposed on women be felt than in the bi-generational dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship. Two women. Two eras. Two realities. They can’t fully understand each other, yet they share the experience of wrestling with the expected norms of society.
And who better to bring this struggle to life on stage than a real-life mother-daughter acting duo? Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, The Crown) shines in the role of Kitty – as expected, given her long list of accolades.
Bessie Carter’s Vivie proves she deserved a better role in Bridgerton than the unlikeable Featherington sister. Credit should also be given to Kevin Doyle as the bumbling, stumbling, fumbling Reverend Samuel Gardner.
Like much of Shaw’s work, the play explores the role of poverty in the subjugation of women and the life force that drives survival at all costs. Director Cooke’s use of scantily (in Victorian terms) clad maidens of the night for stagehands asks us to look beyond the obvious to the realities lurking in the shadows.
In our modern times, this still rings true. While the Victorian ruffles may have been replaced with White Fox and Lululemon, the position of women in terms of sexual freedom, opportunity, propriety and self-determination is an ongoing fight.
That’s the power of a provocative play that’s well-written, well-staged and well-performed. It makes us face unpleasant realities and forces us to take a critical look at our own society. It sparks reaction, invites reflection, opens discussion, and reminds us why theatre like this still matters. If you haven’t seen it yet, Mrs. Warren’s Profession is one worth watching.
Mrs. Warren’s Profession opens at select cinemas nationally on 24 October 2025.
Tickets and cinema info: https://sharmillfilms.com.au/ntl/mwp/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sharmillfilms/
Images supplied by Sharmill Films.
