Mrs Warren's Profession September 24, 2008

Performances begin on September 10 for the Queens Players/Secret Theatre Production of Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession.
In this witty and provocative comedy, Shaw tests the bonds between a mother and daughter in a battle of sex, money and morality. Mrs. Kitty Warren (Katie Braden) has worked hard to provide for her daughter Vivie (Savannah Mazda), to give her the genteel upbringing she never had. Now that Vivie is about to embark on her own career, Mrs. Warren decides that it time for her feminist daughter to finally learn the truth about her mother’s profession. The shocking news sets the stage for a battle royal between mother and daughter.
Shaw’s story of this ultimate test of a mother-daughter relationship is one of his most enduring and popular plays. The brilliant, high-stakes battles of Shaw’s women in this 1893 play reflect struggles of women and of society that still resonate today. With his frank discussion of prostitution, Shaw angered critics and censors so much with Mrs. Warren’s Profession that it was banned from performance in England for many years and actors were arrested at its first performance in New York. Never one to shy away from controversy, Shaw wrote of the play in a letter, “Ah, when I wrote that, I had some nerve.” Ultimately, however, at the heart of Shaw’s provocative social commentary is a complex and moving story of a mother and a daughter.
This has long been at the top of the list of “passion projects” for director Ken Hailey. Only a playwright like Shaw could tackle parenthood and prostitution in the same play. The story is witty, racy, daring and displays a wry sense of humor. Mrs. Warren and her daughter are two of the most strong-minded women in world literature.”
Once again Mr. Hailey teams up with partner and costumer Tom Kleinert. Recently two teamed up on the hit production of VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM which appeared at the Secret Theatre.Performances take place at the Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd St. in Long Island City on September 10-27.