Mrs Warren's Profession

Imelda Staunton And Daughter Bessie Carter Share The Stage

Imelda Staunton makes a welcome stage return in 2025, alongside her daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) in George Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession. Once banned under the Lord Chamberlin's office, Shaw intended the play to address prostitution in the era, and to: "draw attention to the truth that prostitution is caused, not by female depravity and male licentiousness, but simply by underpaying, undervaluing and overworking women", as played out when Vivie Warren (Carter) returns home from university to discover her mother Kitty's (Staunton) true profession as a brothel madam.

Reuniting Staunton with director Dominic Cooke (Hello, Dolly and Follies) and producer Sonia Freedman, Mrs Warren's Profession will be a chance to catch one of our finest screen and stage actors in powerful form. Discussing the revival, the play's first West End outing since 2010,  Staunton said: "The new year felt like the perfect time to return to the stage in Mrs Warren's Profession, a play which asks ever pertinent questions about the role of women in society, and the choices they make for survival. I couldn't be happier to be stepping into the rehearsal room with my very great friend and colleague Dominic; and my brilliant daughter Bessie. What a treat for 2025!" 

What Is The Story?

A frank look at sex work and the social and economic reasons women may find themselves a part of it, Mrs Warren's Profession was first performed in 1902. The original play follows Vivie, the intelligent daughter of Mrs Kitty Warren as she graduates from Cambridge and begins looking for a husband. At first, it's a storybook reunion, but the mood is soured when Vivie learns the truth of her mother's wealth.