Theatre Review: MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION

George Bernard Shaw wrote Mrs. Warren’s Profession in 1893. Originally banned in England, the play opened on Oct 30, 1905 in New York. Some critics called it “illuminated gangrene”. The following day, on Oct 31, the producer and players were arrested for obscenity. Fortunately, no one got arrested on Thursday, Oct 15, 2026.

 

Vivie (Nell Murphy) is an educated young woman living in England. She graduated from Cambridge in Mathematics. Her posh education and lifestyle have been paid for by her mother, Mrs. Warren (Cyndy Fujikawa). What Vivie doesn’t know is that her mom’s money comes from running multiple brothels across Europe. How will Vivie react when she finds out about the origins of that money?

 

To complicate things a bit more, Mrs. Warren tries to hook up Vivie with Mr. Praed (Stuart W. Howard), an architect. Vivie, however, is romantically involved with Frank (Will Rothhaar), a penniless guy with not much of a future. His father is the local reverend, Samuel (Richard Eden), who might be Vivie’s father, making Vivie and Frank half-siblings. But that’s not it, Crofts (Geoffrey Wade), Mrs. Warren’s business partner in the prostitution trade, is also interested in Vivie.

 

With that conflict structure, Shaw pictures the challenges and professional prospects of women in Victorian England. Growing up poor, Mrs. Warren explains that prostitution was her option to attain financial independence. For Vivie, this becomes a dilemma. How can she support her mom’s business if that entails exploiting other young women like herself? In this play, Shaw uses a powerful device: Irony. Mrs. Warren escaped the oppression of poverty by getting into prostitution, which in turn, oppresses other women. Vivie benefitted from that vicious circle; she received a college education and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. Although supportive once her mom justifies her profession, Vivie now has to deal with her own moral principles. Her final decision will determine the future of her relationship with Mrs. Warren.

 

Director Michael Rothhaar remains truthful to Shaw’s realism by allowing the cast to emphasize the motivations of the characters. This highlights the dynamic relationships and re-creates the challenges and attitudes of the era. The play has seven characters, but the main focus is the conflictive relationship between mother and daughter. They are the epicenter of the action, and their relationship affects the way they interact with the people around them. As a play that is centered more in character development than plot, Shaw directs our attention to the characters exteriorizing their internal conflicts when uncomfortable truths are revealed.

 

The cast is pivotal to explore the intricacies of this play. All of the actors bring truth to their characters, giving the audience an opportunity to choose where to place their sympathies. Can we side with Mrs. Warren? Is Vivie’s attitude towards her mom justified? Why does Mrs. Warren continue to be involved in the prostitution business? Fujikawa and Murphy have a commanding stage presence. Their interaction is a superlative demonstration of emotion and spontaneity that creates tension to build up the conflict, a master class of talent here. The male actors are also fantastic, adding a great deal of flavor to the scenes with their portrayal of ambition, weakness, and hypocrisy.

 

With this play, Shaw tried to describe the “New Woman” concept that was spreading across England and the US at the time. By doing so, he was also introducing his socialist ideas, which up to this day, still generate strong reactions. As the play continues to speak to audiences around the world, Pacific Resident Theatre excels in presenting the fight for equality with a renewed energy, balancing out the depiction of realism and symbolism effectively.

 

 

Pacific Resident Theatre
707 Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

 

 

Playwright: George Bernard Shaw. Director: Michael Rothhaar. Executive Producer: Marilyn Fox. Presented by Pacific Resident Theatre.

 

Cast: Richard Eden, Cyndy Fujikawa, Brad Greenquist, Geoffrey Wade, Stuart W. Howard, Nell Murphy, and Will Rothhaar.

 

Creative team: Taubert Nadalini (Set Design), Shon LeBlanc (Costume Design), Michael Franco (Lighting Design).