Fabian Drama - an actors' challenge?
Famously, Carl von Clausewitz considered "war is a continuation of policy by other means" (but in German!) and Shaw clearly sees drama as ‘Fabian pamphleteering by other means’.
Mrs Warren’s Profession examines the transactional nature of women’s relationships and capitalism, choosing to focus on a mother: daughter relationship, and, for the second time this lustrum the English stage chooses two real mothers and daughters to act this out (it was the Quentin’s in 2022). Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter slug it out for us tonight.
The set was a clever revolve, dressed by extras en deshabille.
The problem with a play which might be a pamphlet is that the characters are really arguments and not people. This creates an uphill struggle for the actors, as, as the argument changes, so do their characters. (And their characters are often merely cyphers and signifiers for points of view).
In particular the daughter Vivie has to channel all of a young woman in a flirtatious relationship, with a blue-stocking wholly inimical to arts and culture, to a workaholic fixated on industrious activity, to a prude, to a feminist (well the late 19th Century version of that), to a capitalist, to a socialist, to a prig. She manages each stereotype with aplomb, but it’s a big ask for any actress and it does jeopardise consistency, leading to the audience being somewhat confused, no fault of hers.
The other actors are mainly playing stock characters, and do it well.
The standing ovation at the end recognised Staunton’s professionalism and career.