Description

London, 1937. Mrs Laura Henderson, a woman of wealth and connections, has just buried her beloved husband. And now she’s bored. At 69, she is far too energetic and vital to fade into gentle widowhood. What she needs, says her friend Lady Conway, is a hobby. Collecting diamonds, perhaps? Or doing Charitable works? But, to the shock of her friends she instead buys a theatre – the Windmill Theatre in the heart of Soho.

She knows nothing about running it, so she hires a manager: enter Vivian Van Damm. A showbiz pro, he is shocked too by Mrs Henderson: she is outrageous, provocative and eccentric. And rather rude. Van Damm bans her from rehearsals owing to her endless interference, so she dresses up as a Chinese matron, then a polar bear, to spy on him. Their love-hate relationship sparks fireworks – and historic innovations in British theatre.