BroadwayComedy1975
Mrs. Warren's Profession
- Dates
- Feb 18 – Apr 4, 1976
- Performances
- 55
About
George Bernard Shaw's play Mrs Warren's Profession was first performed in London in 1902. Written in 1893, it was included in Shaw's 1898 collection Plays Unpleasant, alongside The Philanderer and Widowers' Houses. The story concerns a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving daughter. It is a problem play, offering social commentary to argue that prostitution was not caused by moral failure but by economic necessity. Shaw borrowed several elements from his own 1882 novel Cashel Byron's Profession, about a man who becomes a boxer due to limited employment opportunities.