Elbrick, Harrison, Etc. Set for 'Mrs. Warren's Profession'

Berkshire Theatre Festival presents Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Anders Cato (Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Night of the Iguana at BTF) on the Main Stage. This production begins previews on August 14 and runs through September 1.

Mrs. Warren's Profession, written in 1894, is "a witty and daring comedy. This play is a prime example of Shaw's brilliance at blending thought-provoking issues, intelligent argument, and riveting drama. It is both an honest portrait of women working in the world's oldest profession and an emotional portrayal of the relationship between a street-savvy mother and her educated, independent daughter. Shaw was an equal income advocate, defender of women's rights, and won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Some of Shaw's other work includes Arms and the Man, Heartbreak House, Caesar and Cleopatra, and The Apple Cart," state press notes.

Lisa Banes will play the title role Mrs. Kitty Warren, a Victorian era mother working to support her daughter. Banes has performed on Broadway in Rumors, Arcadia, and High Society. She has had reoccurring roles in hit television shows, such as "The King of Queens," "Six Feet Under," and "Saved" and made film appearances in Hotel New Hampshire and Freedom Writers. Xanthe Elbrick will play her daughter Vivie Warren, a highly confident and well-educated young woman. Recently, Elbrick received a Tony Award nomination for her role in Coram Boy. She has performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in productions of Anything Goes, I Have Loved Strangers, and The Miracle Worker. Randy Harrison will play the charming and charismatic Frank Gardner. Harrison has previously appeared at BTF in Equus, Amadeus, and this season's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and he is best known for playing Justin Taylor on the Showtime television series "Queer as Folk."

Walter Hudson will take on Sir George Crofts. Hudson has numerous BTF credits, including Amadeus, Peter Pan, and My Fair Lady. He has appeared off and on Broadway for the New York Shakespeare Festival and has been an acting participant in the Eugene O'Neill and Sundance Theatre Conferences. Mark Nelson will play Praed. Nelson previously performed in the BTF production of Talley's Folly and he directed Tina Howe's Coastal Disturbances last season. Stephen Temperley will play Reverend Samuel Gardner. Temperley previously appeared in BTF's production of Amadeus and has written plays, including The Pilgrim Papers, which premiered in the Unicorn Theatre in 2006, and Souvenir, which was developed at BTF before going on to Broadway and regional productions across the country.

Mrs. Warren's Profession in BTF's Main Stage previews August 14 through August 16, opens August 17, and closes September 1. Performances are Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm with matinees at 2pm on Thursdays and Saturdays. A free "postscript" discussion with the cast will be held following the August 20 performance. This post-show discussion will give the audience the opportunity to ask questions and share comments with the cast.

Tickets range from $37 to $64. Students with valid ID receive fifty percent discount. Contact the BTF Box Office at 413-298-5576 or visit www.berkshiretheatre.org. Box Office hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and one hour prior to curtain.

Photo of Xanthe Elbrick by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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