"Mrs Warren lives a double life. On the one hand, she's a loyal and devoted mother to Vivie. On the other, she's a hugely successful Victorian brothel keeper with a whole chain of Europe-wide enterprises...

Vivie is shocked to learn of Mrs Warren's profession. And although sympathetic to her mother's situation, and the wealth and lifestyle it brings, she knows that she must turn her back on it all, and make a reputable living of her own.

Mrs Warren's Profession scandalised British theatre when it was first performed in the late 19th century"

I hope the above will give you the general outline of this George Bernard Shaw classic play which kick starts the Autumn Season at Bristol Old Vic, and most certainly has set an extremely high benchmark for the rest of this years productions.

This once controversial play unfortunately completely lacks any of that controversy and it no longer defies any conventions or has the shock factor which is originally sold tickets on, therefore the Old Vic have had a mammoth task on their hands. They have failed to deliver a play, which challenges you as an audience member, but they have managed to give you the chance to find modern day reflections and views on relationships and business within the production, rather superbly.

The secret behind this winning formula is quite obviously the highly experience Deborah Bruce in her direction role, making this a classic play. She obviously has a great amount of time for her cast, getting the most exceptional performances out of all of them. The young Tom Harper as Frank delivers a modern performance in the period surroundings, which does manage to fit in proficiently. The real stars however are Isla Blair as Mrs Warren, who only once goes over the top and melodramatic, in an otherwise sound performance. Ruth Grey however managed to perfectly master the difficult role of Vive Warren, creating a warm, harsh and truly realistic character that carried the production.

The first act seems to plod along to its revelation at the ending, but the striking relationships, amazing revelations and emotionally charged ending let you glide through this exceptional act.

The often-tedious scene changes didn't seem to fit into the style of production, and managed to be far to abstract to fit into the coherent performance. Yet the humorous and often though provoking writing certainly makes up for it. Yes its not controversial or shocking, but this is an extremely well performed, flawlessly directed piece of theatre, which makes for inspiring viewing.

Images by Robert Workman

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