Mrs Warren's Profession *** TNT

Written in 1894, but banned by the censor and not given a public performance in England till over thirty years later, George Bernard Shaw’s social comedy no longer shocks but still holds the attention with its serious concerns about the options open to impoverished working class women.

Felicity Kendal is bright and flirtatious as Mrs Warren, a tough (if perhaps insufficiently vulgar) creature who finally reveals to daughter Vivie what drove her into a life of prostitution, made her wealthy and paid for Vivie’s Cambridge education.

The confrontations between the two women enable Shaw to air his controversial views exposing the hypocrisy of Victorian society, and David Yelland’s unctuous Crofts (her titled business partner for whom every human transaction is financial) provides excellent support in Michael Rudman’s efficient, straightforward production.

Comedy, Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN ( 0844 871 7622) ambassadortickets.com/london to June 19th (£20 - £48.50)