Mrs. Henderson Presents
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| Original title: | Mrs. Henderson Presents |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | George Fenton , Simon Chamberlain |
| Book: | Terry Johnson |
| Lyrics: | Don Black |
| Original direction: | Terry Johnson |
| Premiere: | August 26, 2015 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater Royal, Bath , England |
| Place and time of the action: | London, 1930s and 1940s |
| Roles / people | |
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Mrs Henderson presents is a musical by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain (music), Don Black (lyrics) and Terry Johnson (book). The work premiered on August 26, 2015 at the Theater Royal in Bath and ran from February 2016 to June 2016 at the Noël Coward Theater in London . It was nominated for Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards 2016 and lead actress Tracie Bennett received a nomination for Best Actress in a Musical .
The musical is based on the eponymous film Mrs Henderson Presents (dt .: Mrs Henderson Presents ) in 2005 and tells the true story of Laura Henderson and London's Windmill Theater.
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Act I.
London 1937: The somewhat eccentric, but fun-loving widow Laura Henderson, who is actually good-natured under her rugged surface, wants to use her money to run the London Windmill Theater. Since she has no idea how to run a theater, she hires Vivian Van Damm to take over the artistic direction. Although he initially has a problem with Mrs. Henderson's gruff manner and feels offended by her insensitive remarks, he still takes on the job.
After the first auditions, a program is finally put together and put on stage. But the income cannot cover the costs and the theater is doing more badly. Finally, Laura Henderson remembers a visit to France and the naked dancers of the cabarets there. She wants to bring this idea to England. Vivian Van Damm points out the strict moral rules in England in those years, but Laura Henderson is friends with Lord Cromer, who is responsible for this. As expected, he initially reacts negatively, but when Laura Henderson has the idea that the naked women shouldn't move on the stage and point out corresponding pictures in the museums, Lord Cromer finally agrees.
But after Lord Cromer was persuaded to agree, the dancers of the Windmill Theater have to be persuaded to perform naked. When this has also been successful, the first show can be presented and the Living Pictures of the Windmill Theater are immediately a sensational success with the audience. But at the same time the horrors of World War II are getting closer and closer. At the latest when the Windmill Theater is bombed, Laura Henderson, Vivian Van Damm and the Windmill artists have to admit that there is still a real world outside the fantasy world of the theater, the horror of which can no longer be ignored.
Act II
The horrors of war have fully gripped England. Eddie, one of the staff, has signed up to serve as a soldier. At the same time there are problems with the strict moral rules. But the situation also welds the employees of the Windmill Theater together and they defiantly decide not to allow themselves to be stopped by prudish moralists or the Nazis and to keep the theater going. Mrs Henderson proclaims: We'll Never Close.
When Eddie visits, he confesses his love to the dancer Maureen. Although she is not really in love with him, she embarks on an adventure with him. When she later realizes that she is pregnant, she first stops as a dancer and inquires about abortion options. But the shows go on in the Windmill: The Show must go on.
Suddenly a sad message reaches the employees of the Windmill: Eddie fell in the war while trying to save his comrades. The whole theater is in shock and Mrs. Henderson decides that she can't go on and wants to close the theater. She no longer has the strength to fight against all odds and does not want to be responsible if employees or spectators are killed in a bomb attack on the theater. Even Vivian Van Damm, who has meanwhile become a good friend, does not manage to change her mind. The otherwise fun-loving Mrs. Henderson has lost all courage and all joy in life.
But then Maureen returns to the Windmill. She has decided not to abort Eddie's child. Even she does not succeed at first in changing Mrs. Henderson's mind and dissuading her from her decision. But when she says that closing the Windmill would not have been in Eddie's mind and that it would be a victory for the Nazis and all prudish enemies of freedom, Mrs. Henderson starts to think. When Maureen reminds Mrs. Henderson of what they have already achieved and that every mountain is difficult to climb, Laura Henderson changes her mind.
Finally the entire ensemble comes together again and puts a show on stage, more splendid than anything they have done before.
music
The music is designed for an eight-piece orchestra, consisting of keyboard, woodwind instruments, trumpet, drums, percussion, bass and cello.
The following pieces of music can be heard in the musical:
Act I.
- overture
- Everybody Loves the Windmill
- Mrs. Henderson Presents
- Whatever time I have
- Lord Chamberlain's Song
- What a waste of a moon
- Rubens and Renoir
- Ordinary girl
- It starts with a dream
- Perfect Dream
- You couldn't make it up
- Living in a Dream World
- He's Got Another Think Coming
Act II
- Women at War
- Now is not the time
- Anything But Young
- We'll never close
- Whatever Time I Have (Reprise)
- What a Waste of a Moon (Reprise)
- Now is Not the Time (reprise)
- Innocent Soldier
- Mrs Henderson Presents (reprise)
- If Mountains Were Easy to Climb
- We never closed
- Everybody Loves the Windmill (Reprise)
Original cast
| role | Original cast Theater Royal | Original cast London |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Henderson | Tracie Bennett | |
| Vivian Van Damm | Ian Bartholomew | |
| Maureen | Emma Williams | |
| Arthur | Mark Hadfield | Jamie Foreman |
| Lord Cromer | Graham Hoadly | Robert Hands |
| Eddie | Matthew Malthouse | |
| Bertie | Samuel Holmes | |
| Peggy | Katie Bernstein | |
| Doris | Lizzy Connolly | |
| Vera | Lauren Hood | |
| Lady Conway | Jane Milligan | Liz Ewing |
| Suzanne | Katrina Kleve | |
| Frank | Alexander Delamere | |
| Cyril | Dickie Wood | |
| Aggie | Julie Armstrong | Tania Newton |
| Sid | Andrew Bryant | |
| Magician | Neil Stewart | |
| Nigel / Lord Cromer's Secretary |
Oliver Jackson | |
| Windmill Girls | Sarah Bakker Rhiannon Chesterman Victoria Hay |
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| Swings | Sam O'Rourke Ian-Gareth Jones Graham Vick Emily Goodenough Lauren Logan |
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Performance history
On March 6, 2015, it was announced that Janie Dee would play Laura Henderson. When rehearsals began on July 7, 2015, however, it was announced that Tracie Bennett would be starring instead .
- August 26, 2015 (previews from August 15, 2015) - September 25, 2015: Theater Royal, Bath, England.
- February 16, 2016 (previews from February 9, 2016) - June 18, 2016: Noël Coward Theater, London, England.
- March 15, 2017 - April 23, 2017: Royal Alexandra Theater, Toronto, Canada. (The first performance was originally planned for March 12, 2017, but had to be postponed by three days due to Hurricanes Ewan and Doris.)
Sound carrier
- Mrs Henderson Presents - Original London Cast Recording (Label: Sony Classical, released March 4, 2016)
Awards & nominations
- Nomination as "Best New Musical"
- Nomination for Ian Bartholomew in the category "Best Actor in a Musica"
- Nomination for Tracie Bennett in the category "Best Actress in a Musical"
- Nomination for Emma Williams in the category "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical"
Web links
- mrshenderson.co.uk - Official Homepage