Overview

• Imelda Staunton stars alongside her real-life daughter, Bessie Carter, in a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s once-banned play at the Garrick Theatre in London.
• Director Dominic Cooke reimagines the 1893 drama with a streamlined 105-minute runtime, a 1913 setting, and Greek tragedy-inspired staging.
• The production features a stylized circular garden set by Chloe Lamford and a silent chorus of women in Edwardian underclothes to evoke themes of societal constraint.
• Critics have praised Staunton’s technical precision but expressed concerns over the adaptation’s pacing and mechanical tone, which some feel limits emotional depth.
• The play, running through August 16, examines Victorian-era hypocrisy and women’s economic struggles, resonating with contemporary audiences through its bold design choices.