‘Play will prove a talking point’

by Becky Carter

IT isn’t uncommon, I believe, to be embarrassed by your parents. Indeed, it may be something of a formative experience to hear expressed a point of view which is not your own, a life style choice which is other than you would make. And indeed their acquisition of friends with whom you might sit uncomfortably ( I dare say the reverse is equally true!)

Mrs Warren’s Profession then, which opens at Ilkley Playhouse this week, explores these ideas in perhaps the most extreme of ways, for her profession is that which we refer to, euphemistically, as ‘the oldest in the world’. The play, which dates from 1893, is set in this production in 1960s Manchester – equally appropriate and with Robin Green’s beautifully designed house and garden set, a perfectly atmospheric location for the drama.

We meet first Mrs.Warren’s daughter, Livie (Elsa Tuxworth) alone in a garden until she is joined by the cheerful and flamboyant Junius Praed (David Wilyman). Livie could have been modelled on the poor neglected Saffy, daughter of Edina in Absolutely Fabulous for she is demure, educated and innocent, for the time being, of her mother’s lifestyle – a total contrast then to her wilder parent. As her conversation with Praed develops, the cat begins to emerge from the basket.

Sarah Potter, resplendent in a geometric patterned dress and her hair piled beehive high, is a striking and forthright Mrs Warren. Full of the confidence which must accompany her lifestyle, if she is to be successful, she bursts into this quiet house with Sir George Crofts (Martin Isbiter) in tow.

As the play unfolds, and as Livie comes to understand how her Cambridge education has been paid for, without a father in sight, the tension between mother and daughter and indeed mother and gentlemen friends becomes tense and uncomfortable. The Rev Samuel Gardner (Damien O’Keeffe) and his son Frank (Jack Stockdale) make for an interesting pairing – both of whom certainly have eyes for the mother, whilst one also looks longingly (and ambitiously) at the daughter. The relationship between this father and son is unconventional to say the least and when questions arise about the suitability of a relationship between Frank and Livie, it isn’t difficult to establish why this might not be the best idea – or even legal.

But it is the scene played between Sir George and Livie which is perhaps the most excruciating of all as his proposition of a life together is discussed. To audiences of the Victorian era this would have been difficult, but to our modern eyes it is quite unbearable and is played with visceral anguish by Elsa Tuxworth and skin crawling contempt by Martin Isbiter – a very powerful moment.

Sarah Potter is fabulous as Mrs Warren and explains her life choices with such conviction that it is easy to imagine that they are worth considering!

Directed with a real eye for detail, pace and total respect for the, at times, very complex language by Rick Hyland, this play will prove a talking point for some time to come.