Mrs Henderson Presents

"The show must go on, but the clothes must come off."

Feb 17 2006 R 1h 43m
Comedy, Drama, Music

Eccentric 70-year-old widow purchases the Windmill Theatre in London as a post-widowhood hobby. After starting an innovative continuous variety review, which is copied by other theaters, they begin to lose money. Mrs. Henderson suggests they add female nudity similar to the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Plot

Recently widowed well-to-do Mrs. Laura Henderson (Dame Judi Dench) is at a bit of a loose end in inter-war London. On a whim, she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to run it, despite the fact the two don't seem to get along at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres copy it and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer (Christopher Guest), who licenses live shows in Britain, is likely to have something to say about this. Luckily, Mrs. Henderson is friends with him.

Written by

David Rose, Kathy Rose, Martin Sherman

Directed by

Stephen Frears

Production Countries

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 7 wins & 33 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
16,761
Average Rating
7 out of 10
Metascore
71
Popularity
NA