With her return to the West End in George Bernard Shaw’s incendiary masterpiece Mrs Warren’s Profession, we look back at Dame Imelda Staunton’s ten most electrifying stage roles. From razzle-dazzle musical comedy to the emotional intensity of Chekhov and Albee, the five-time Olivier Award winner has defined herself as one of Britain’s greatest living actors.
In addition to the performances featured below, Staunton has been recognised for a number of other acclaimed roles with Olivier nominations for The Beggar’s Opera (1982), The Wizard of Oz (1988), Entertaining Mr Sloane (2010), and Good People (2015). Her 1985 Olivier Award win for Best Supporting Actress was shared between two standout supporting turns: The Corn Is Green at The Old Vic and A Chorus of Disapproval at the National Theatre.
10. Hello, Dolly! – Dolly Levi Gallagher (2024)
A triumphant return to the musical stage, Staunton’s Dolly in Dominic Cooke’s revival sparkled with wit, warmth, and iron resolve. She infused Jerry Herman’s matchmaking widow with equal parts comic timing and emotional depth. It wasn’t just a crowd-pleaser — it was a masterclass in musical theatre characterisation. Her performance earned her a fifth Olivier Award, winning Best Actress in a Musical at the 2025 Olivier Awards. Read a round-up of reviews and check out Hello, Dolly! production photos.
9. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Martha (2017)
In Edward Albee’s bruising domestic war zone, Staunton delivered a devastating Martha: bitter, seductive, and searingly real. Her performance earned her an Olivier nomination and confirmed her ability to dominate a non-musical stage with raw emotional intelligence. It remains one of the fiercest portrayals of the role in recent memory.
8. Guys and Dolls – Miss Adelaide (1982)
As the lovelorn showgirl with a psychosomatic cold, Staunton was radiant in Richard Eyre’s acclaimed National Theatre production. Her rendition of “Adelaide’s Lament” was hilariously neurotic yet heartbreakingly sincere, and she earned another Olivier nomination for a performance that cemented her as a musical theatre natural.
7. The Corn Is Green – Bessie Watty (1985)
In this Old Vic revival of Emlyn Williams’ 1938 drama, Staunton took on the role of the spirited Bessie — a role that won her the Olivier for Best Supporting Actress. While the play centres around a young scholar’s escape from poverty, Staunton’s performance lent the production fire and complexity, showing how much power she could deliver in a supporting role.
6. Into the Woods – The Baker’s Wife (1991)
Richard Jones’s 1990 West End staging of Stephen Sondheim’s twisted fairy tale gave Staunton a role that fit her like a glove. As the Baker’s Wife, she brought sardonic humour and aching vulnerability, perfectly capturing Sondheim’s tonal tightrope. Her Olivier win for Best Actress in a Musical was richly deserved — a pitch-perfect blend of realism and magic. Into The Woods returns to London this year in a major revival at the Bridge Theatre. Could she take on the Witch?
5. Uncle Vanya – Sonya (1988)
In Michael Blakemore’s West End production of Chekhov’s melancholic masterpiece, Staunton played Sonya with quiet heartbreak and unfussy honesty. She embodied the tragic dignity of a young woman resigned to a life of emotional sacrifice, her final monologue (“We shall rest…”) delivered with soul-crushing restraint. An understated tour de force.
4. A Chorus of Disapproval – Hannah Llewellyn (1985)
Staunton shone as the conflicted Hannah in Alan Ayckbourn’s backstage comedy at the National Theatre. In a play full of shifting alliances and emotional repression, she brought a richly human quality to her role — winning the Olivier for Best Supporting Actress. This early-career triumph was a sign of greater things to come.
3. Sweeney Todd – Mrs Lovett (2013)
Opposite Michael Ball’s Demon Barber, Staunton was a revelation as Nellie Lovett in Jonathan Kent’s darkly sumptuous revival. She delivered a brilliantly grotesque blend of humour and horror, managing to make the character both monstrous and oddly lovable. Read a round-up of reviews. Her Olivier win was all but inevitable — Staunton’s Lovett was easily among the finest ever seen. Sweeney Todd production photos
2. Follies – Sally Durant Plummer (2018)
Staunton reunited with director Dominic Cooke at the National Theatre in Follies, giving a harrowing performance as a woman clinging to fantasy in the face of regret. Her delivery of “Losing My Mind” was emotionally surgical — exposed nerves wrapped in sequins. Though she was only nominated for the Olivier, many thought she deserved the win.
1. Gypsy – Rose (2014-15)
Staunton’s turn as the indomitable Rose in Jonathan Kent’s 2015 Chichester and West End revival was a thrilling showcase of her full dramatic and musical range. Fierce, funny, and heartbreakingly driven, her Rose was both commanding and deeply flawed — a mother teetering on the edge of obsession. The performance earned her a richly deserved Olivier Award and drew widespread acclaim for bringing psychological depth to a role that can easily tip into caricature. “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” never sounded so urgent — or so raw. Read reviews from both the Chichester run and the Savoy Theatre run in London, and explore production photos from the West End.
Coming Soon: Mrs Warren’s Profession at the Garrick Theatre
This spring, Imelda Staunton returns to the West End in Mrs Warren’s Profession, playing the formidable Kitty Warren in George Bernard Shaw’s still-radical critique of Victorian hypocrisy. Even more exciting? She’s joined onstage by her daughter, Bessie Carter (Bridgerton), in their first professional collaboration.
Directed once again by her longtime creative partner Dominic Cooke (Follies, Hello, Dolly!), this revival promises to be both explosive and intimate. Shaw’s battle of ideals between a pragmatic mother and an idealistic daughter feels as vital today as when it was banned in 1893 — and with Staunton leading the charge, expect fireworks. Check out the latest production photos & videos for Mrs Warren’s Profession.
Mrs Warren’s Profession runs from 10 May to 16 August 2025 at the Garrick Theatre, London.
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