Mrs. Warren's Profession at the American Airlines Theatre

Roundabout would rather cast "stars" than people who are right for the part.

There.  I've said it.

Seeing Sally Hawkins in the Roundabout's new Broadway production of Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession I couldn't help but think about another Roundabout casting choice that ruined a show... Mary Louise Parker in Hedda Gabler.  At least this time I managed to stay awake for the entire performance.

Golden-Globe winner (for Happy-Go-Lucky) Sally Hawkins creates a Vivie Warren that is so fidgety and tightly-wound that you are praying Frank Gardner will pull the trigger and shoot her.  Vivie has spent her whole life in boarding schools learning to be a refined Englishwoman.  From the script and the comments made by the other characters in the play it is clear that she is cold, refined, and supercilious (think Kristin Scott Thomas.)  Hawkins' performance was anything but.  It really hurt the overall production as I was left wondering why anyone would want anything to do with this screaming bundle of nerves and rudeness.  As played by Hawkins, Vivie has no allure, no seductiveness, no sense of the nobility her mother aspired to.  The performance seemed the result of a too-weak director being afraid to tell an actress that her choices really weren't working for the show as a whole.  In fact, Hawkins' choices threw the entire show out of balance chiefly because she was up against one of the most acclaimed stage actresses of our time, Cherry Jones.

Cherry Jones, as Mrs. Kitty Warren, delivered a standout performance.  Her Mrs. Warren had the warmth and largess that the role demands.  The show is worth seeing solely for her performance which is sure to become even more nuanced as the show moves out of previews and into performances.  If I had one issue with her choices, it was that there wasn't enough of a struggle between her upper-class veneer and the lower-class woman underneath.  Perhaps the veneer should have been a little stronger.  Still, it was a performance that was really wonderful to watch.  

The other performers all seemed to do a fine job, but I am honestly not really that sure.  I kept finding myself too distracted by Ms. Hawkins and her shrill squeaking.  I was imagining how much better the show would be if there were a better suited actress in the role of Vivie. I am obviously still imagining it.  Which is really my big frustration with Roundabout.  Season after season we have been subjected to these shows that are *almost* fantastic. The focus seems to be on getting people into the theater no matter the cost. Sure these stars might sell tickets, but if the show isn't good people are going to think twice before spending their hard-earned money on another Broadway show.  Of course it is possible that Sally Hawkins was cast for some reason other than perceived box-office value, but that would be even more inexcusable.

Mrs. Warren's Profession is a show worth seeing, but not for full price.

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