George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, which was originally banned in London due to its content, made its New York debut in 1905. That production ran but one performance before the manager and cast were arrested. Shaw himself labeled the work as one of his three "Plays Unpleasant," because it forced audiences to face "unpleasant facts": prostitution, marriage laws that trapped women, slum housing and other social ills. The cast of the Guthrie production will also include Michael Booth as Mr. Praed, Paul O'Brien as Sir George Crofts, Leo Kittay as Mr. Frank Gardner and Richard Ooms as The Rev. Samuel Gardner. The play's creative team comprises Michael Yeargan (set design), Ann Hould-Ward (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Scott W. Edwards (sound design), Marcela Lorca (movement coach), Elisa Carlson (voice and speech consultant), Carla Steen (dramaturgy), Christopher Hibma (assistant director) and Chris A. Code (stage manager). Lisa Peterson directs.

Vivienne Benesch, who will star as Vivie Warren, has appeared on the New York stage in Vienna: Lusthaus (Revisited), Pericles, All's Well That Ends Well, The Deep Blue Sea, Hurricane and Ancient History. Caitlin O'Connell (Mrs. Warren) was last seen at the Guthrie in The Playboy of the Western World; her many regional credits include Little Foxes, Dinner with Friends, An Experiment with an Air Pump, A Doll's House and The Winter's Tale.

Tickets for the production, which officially opens Jan. 17 and runs through Feb. 16, are priced between $16 and $46. Call the Guthrie Theater box office at (612) 377-2224 or (877) 44-STAGE to purchase tickets. The Guthrie Theater is located at 725 Vineland Place in Minneapolis, MN. Go to www.guthrietheater.org for more information.