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Until now her mother’s profession has been a mystery to Vivie Warren who has spent most of her life in boarding schools and in the country home of friends having little personal contact with the woman who provides her financial support.

The author George Bernard Shaw has an affinity for exposing upper-class snobbery and hypocrisy and creating witty culture clashes between the British social classes, most famously with “Pygmalion,”  in “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” he does so openly with no holds barred.

I am not familiar with the original version but this world premiere adaptation by Melanie Spewock, produced by Promethean Theatre Ensemble in Chicago (through March 29, 2020) is said to concentrate more on the relationship between mother and daughter which it apparently does.

This is a fine chance to revisit a work by a classic playwright while viewing it in the light of current sensibilities.

The cast of Mrs.Warren’s Profession includes

Elaine Carlson as Mrs. Kitty Warren

Tracey Greenwood as Vivie Warren

Chris Woolsey as Frank Gardner

Ted Hoerl as Reverend Samuel Gardner

Jared Dennis as Sir George Crofts

and Ross Frawley as Praed

Listen to the entire podcast theater review using the player above.

The complete written review by Reno Lovison is available at ChicagoTheaterandArts.com.

Podcast Correction Note: The character Vivie is a graduate of Cambridge, not Oxford.