‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ sears 19th century society

Tom Titus

Had “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” been written in the early 21st

century instead of the late 19th, it probably would be structured as

a comedy -- a young woman learning that the privilege and station she

enjoys has come as the result of her mother’s lucrative career in

prostitution.

George Bernard Shaw, however, didn’t see much humor in the

situation when he penned this stinging attack on a hypocritical

society that borders on intellectual melodrama. Neither does the

Newport Theater Arts Center, which has opened its season with this

vitriolic period piece.

The mannered style and somewhat archaic language of England in the

1800s requires a good bit of acclimatization, first by the cast and

then by the audience, but once this is accomplished, “Mrs. Warren’s

Profession” may be appreciated for the strength of its performances,

however questionable its characters’ motivations.

Director Darlene Hunter-Chaffee has instilled a steely aura of

Victorian stuffiness into her performers, who succeed in varying

degrees at bringing these musty characters to life. Inherent

propriety and reserve do not equate to an absence of emotion,

however, and there is a good deal of the latter quality on display in

the Newport production.

“Mrs. Warren’s Profession” is admirable on two counts at Newport

-- first for the breadth of its onstage talent and secondly for its

scenic accomplishments. The play requires four separate staging areas

-- a piece of cake for South Coast Repertory, but a major headache

for a small community theater stage. Martin Eckmann and his

set-constructing company have accomplished a small miracle with their

elaborate, rotating backdrops.

The title character is brought to life with sauciness and verve by

Christi J. Sweeney, who effects a somewhat blowsy sophistication and

a knowing giggle that allows her audience an easy connection between

her present and her past. At one point, she appears to be attempting

to seduce her daughter’s boyfriend, then laughs it off with a worldly

shrug.

As the grown daughter Vivie -- who discovers to her horror that

her mother not only had been a prostitute but is now a partner in an

international franchise of bawdy houses -- Rochelle Carmody is superb

in her transition from loving, cheerful daughter to fiercely

independent, emotionally bereft woman. Carmody encounters a difficult

task in boldly making choices that probably go against her audience’s

emotional grain, and she accomplishes it splendidly.

Jason Schlotter cuts a wide, sardonic swath across the stage as

Frank, an admitted wastrel who’s smitten by the daughter and battles

-- armed at one point -- to retain her affection. Schlotter also is

the most accomplished of the cast at conveying Shaw’s barbed dialogue

without sacrificing emotional involvement.

The erstwhile villain of the piece, an English nobleman who’s in

partnership with Mrs. Warren in her questionable enterprise, is

portrayed as a 19th century Snidely Whiplash by Kenny Jagosz, who

lacks only a cape and a cackle to complete his melodramatic

character. More subtlety in his approach might melt the stereotypical

image.

Eric Nelson crafts a fine portrait of a proper English gentleman

with friendly but unprofessional ties to the Warrens. And Rowland E.

Kerr is enjoyable as a fuddy-duddy clergyman who may or may not be

Vivie’s natural father (Shaw is ambiguous on this point), which would

prove calamitous since Frank, Vivie’s love interest, is his son.

The period costumes of Donna Fritsche firmly establish the play’s

Victorian atmosphere, while Mitch Atkins’ lighting and Robert

Chaffee’s sound effects are solid contributions.

Aside from conveying appreciable drama, “Mrs. Warren’s Profession”

is an effective theatrical history lesson on a style and manner of

drama that’s long since disappeared. The Newport company successfully

recreates that period in a solid production.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His

reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.