Imelda Staunton and Daughter Bessie Carter Will Lead MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION

Mother and daughter Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter will appear onstage together for the first time as Mrs Kitty Warren and Vivie Warren in a new production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession.

Imelda Staunton and Dominic Cooke will renew their creative collaboration for Mrs. Warren’s Profession, following their previous work together on the smash-hits Hello, Dolly! and Follies. The production also reunites Imelda Staunton with producer Sonia Friedman after Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; and Dominic Cooke and Sonia Friedman after the multi-award-winning Clybourne Park.

The production will open at the Garrick Theatre on 22 May, with previews from 10 May, and run until 16 August.

Tickets will be on sale in early 2025, audiences are invited to sign up for pre-sale ticket access at mrswarrensprofession.com. 

Imelda Staunton said today “The new year felt like the perfect time to return to the stage in Mrs. Warren’s Profession, a play which asks ever pertinent questions about the role of women in society, and the choices they make for survival. I couldn’t be happier to be stepping into the rehearsal room with my very great friend and colleague Dominic; and my brilliant daughter Bessie. What a treat for 2025!”

Dominic Cooke commented, “Although Mrs. Warren's Profession is over 120 years old, it still has the power to shock with its frank and provocative examination of the exploitative nature of society and the double standards applied to women. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Imelda Staunton on Follies and Hello, Dolly! and I’m thrilled to collaborate with her for the first time on a play, especially alongside the super talented Bessie Carter. Additionally, I’m excited to reunite with Sonia Friedman after fifteen years. I can’t wait to bring this remarkable play and brilliant cast to London audiences in the spring.”

Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Estranged from her wealthy mother, she delights in a glass of whisky, a good detective story, and is determined to carve herself a sparkling legal career in an age ruled by men.

Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune and paid for her daughter’s expensive education - but at what cost?

Four-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bridgerton’s Bessie Carter for the very first time, reuniting with the extraordinary director Dominic Cooke (Hello, Dolly!, Good) to bring George Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic crashing into the 21st Century.