Mrs. Warren's Profession Starts Previews Tonight — Page 2

Bye Bye Birdie had color Playbills for about a month after opening. It was very brief. As far as I know, that is the only time either Roundabout or Manhattan Theatre Club has had color Playbills.

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I found it a worthy production, the best from the Roundabout in a long time. The play is well acted and thought provoking, though I felt it ran down somewhat in the second act.

I enjoyed the production overall, but agree that at times it was difficult to understand some of the actors. There was occasional slurring of words, due to accents. But for the most part, strong performances, and a great production of an intriguing play.

Just got home from today's matinee...

Overall, I liked it. The true star of the production really is Sally Hawkins. I thought she was magnificent. I also really enjoyed the performances by Edward Hibbert and Michael Siberry.

As for Cherry Jones...she gives a commanding performance...if only it weren't for that accent. It drove me completely crazy. It wasn't that I was unable to understand her, it was the in-and-out of British/Cherry Jones voice that I found annoying at times.

I found the transition music very good...something that doesn' usually stand out unless it is remarkably good or bad. And I too would like some insight on the show curtain. WTF?!?!

2:15...with intermission. Each act is pretty much one hour exactly.

Updated On: 9/5/10 at 06:07 PM

Pleasantly surprised by this production this afternoon. I did not expect it to be in such good shape at only a 4th preview (considering the difficulty of the material.) I think it could grow into something really impressive. Cherry Jones definitely slides in and out of dialect, but I think/hope that will get more consistent.

Definitely a play with a huge intellectual impact as opposed to emotional. I think that's turning a lot of people off, but I'm also fairly certain that's always turned people off to Shaw.

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We saw it yesterday & we enjoyed it.

We sat upstairs & the great things about the theater is no matter where you sit you have a great seat. I am not a big fan of continental seating however.

The first scene was a bit dated but it picked up after that. The sets, especially for such a short run, were flat out amazing. The curtain is from hunger however.

Cherry Jones is the whole reason many will see the show.Sally Hawkins, as the daughter, is very good & their final confrontation is powerful. The rest of the cast is very good also.

The play is dated but the show as a whole is very good. We give it an 8.

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Mallardo--Yes, I'd say the emotional impact in the final scene with the women is there, and I'm sure they'll only get better further into the run. I'd probably give the production a B+ but if you are a lover of Shaw and wait a while to see it, it might be terrific for you.

The final scene does hold an emotional impact, but everything prior to it is a bit dry/academic. It's the problem with revivals of shows that were/are more about an overarching theme/message than story or character-driven -- Mrs. Warren and Miss Warren aren't actually fleshed-out people, just more mouthpieces and symbols for ideas.

It's not until the final scene when it feels like Jones and Hawkins really have characters to sink their teeth into. It doesn't make the play unsatisfying per se, but it doesn't really give an audience a lot to be invested in for the first 3/4 or so, unless looking at pretty sets and costumes (and giddy joy just at SEEING actors you like) is enough for you.

Did any of you guys ever watch the series "Spaced"? Cherry Jones' accent reminded me of the landlady from that show.

At any rate, I'm with a lot of the earlier reviews after seeing it last night. A bit plodding in spots, but well-performed overall and a nice debut for Sally Hawkins (if you haven't seen Happy Go Lucky, put it in your Netflix queue, btw). Certainly one of the least problematic productions launched by Roundabout in recent years. Just sitting in that theatre makes me shiver about some of the things I've sat through in there. The Philanthropist still ranks as one of my most miserable experiences on Broadway ever.

Btw, did anyone notice the glaring error in the Playbill article about Cherry Jones where they mention her co-star Alison Pill?

What aspect of Mrs. Warren's Profession brings to mind a "socialist tract"?

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mallardo re: your socialist tract question:

Where do I start? And the following discussion is probably a SPOILER - if you haven't read or seen the play, or don't know its history, or Shaw's.

Every word out of Kitty's mouth about the limited opportunities for lower class women is meant as a condemnation of the capitalist exploitation of women for the benefit of the upper classes, as demonstrated by Crofts' appreciation of his 35% return on capital from Kitty's "private hotels." Vivie is herself an outcast because she intends to work and live more like a man than a genteel woman (shades of Eliza Doolittle, BTW). Frank will come to nothing because he cannot earn a living and won't live off a working woman's money (although he is directed to marry well, as it is socially acceptable to live off an heiress's funds).

If you know anything about Shaw's own political views, which he was not at all shy about expressing, it is clear that he very much wanted his dramas to have a point of view, and it was not a view favorable to the inequities of English society. The early outcry against PROFESSION was said to be on moral grounds (how can he be so supportive of prostitution?? the censors cried) but it was also the English society of the day closing ranks against SHaw's suggestion that it wasn't prostitution that was bad, it was poverty.

Updated On: 9/9/10 at 04:46 PM

brightasyellow - I would definitely read the play before seeing it (see my earlier post). Shaw is very wordy, like someone who is showing off at a party about how smart and socially conscious he is. If you read the play beforehand, it will help you sort out who's who, and perhaps better understand why Vivie and her mum don't get along. It seems to me that the reason I liked Praed and Frank as characters is that they are the best written of the lot. How like Shaw to make the female characters sympathetic but less "playable." Ironic really.