Mrs
Warren's Profession
May 6 - 10
Oxford
Playhouse
|
By
Mark Young
Under
the watchful gaze of Sir Peter Hall, Sixties fashion icon Twiggy
made her Oxford debut to the delight of a full house at the Playhouse.
Shaw
wrote Mrs Warren's Profession in 1893, but it remained banned until
1925.
One
has to ask why Sir Peter has chosen to dust the cobwebs of this
dated play.
It
remains a realistic attempt at tackling what was then the taboo
subject of prostitution, but Sir Peter focuses more on the theme
of a mother-and-daughter relationship.
The
wit of this play is strangled by Shaw's laborious attempts to lecture
us on morality, prejudice and the evils that surround wealth. The
influence of Ibsen is clear but the humour of Wilde is absent.
The
choice of Twiggy Lawson in the title role is perfect casting.
She
draws inspiration from the cockney sparrow found in Lisa Doolitle
and alternates it with a touch of Mrs Bridges of Upstairs Downstairs
fame.
Twiggy's
voice was a little shrill in the first half but by the second she
was fully in control of the part, dominating the audience like a
music hall duchess.
Here
we have an icon who dominated a questionable profession, playing
the role of one who also makes her money by means still not acceptable
to all.
Despite
being well supported by Hannah Yelland, who plays her daughter,
and Benedick Blythe interpreting Mr Praed, this play is difficult
for contemporary audiences to understand because the marginal characters
are not connected to the whole picture in a consequential way.
This
is certainly a run worth catching, to appreciate the importance
of this challenge to censorship as Queen Victoria's reign came to
an end.
|
