‘WINDMILL GIRLS’ ONSTAGE
Musical tells the tale of the pioneering work of a Second World War nude performance theatre,
The story of a brave British theatre and its performers who dared to strip down and take the stage as the Second World War rocked London has made its way to Toronto.
Mrs. Henderson Presents, the musical, is based on a British film of the same name from 2005. Both versions tell the tale of London’s Windmill Theatre and its feisty long-ago owner, Laura Henderson.
It’s at the Royal Alexandra Theatre until April 23 in a Mirvish Productions presentation.
Decades later, the venue is remembered for its once-pioneering nude performers (who were legally restricted to remaining still when naked onstage) and its gutsy commitment to staying open during some of the most dangerous days of the war.
“I think people enjoy (the show) more if they know it’s true,” says Terry Johnson, the musical’s writer and director. “And I don’t think there’s much that happens in there that isn’t true.”
Johnson calls the Windmill a key part of Soho’s roots as a hub of erotic entertainment in London. He credits the venue’s owner, the dynamic Henderson, as being a huge driver in making that the case.
The onstage version of the story takes the audience through the Windmill’s ups and downs: from getting hit with the hardships of the war to the exhilarating success of trying to stand up to it.
The musical introduces the confident and rich widow who bought the venue at the beginning of the 1930s.
After Mrs. Henderson’s first attempt at putting on a production flops, she teams up with manager Vivian Van Damm and the pair opts to change their approach . . . to one featuring significantly less clothing onstage.
Johnson describes the world he presents as “uniquely English,” but he doesn’t think that makes anything about it inaccessible or uninteresting to audiences across the pond. “Sex, comedy and courage, what do you want?” he joked.
While younger generations in London might not be familiar with the Windmill’s history, it’s a place older generations know well.
“It’s something you go past every day of your life,” says Tracie Bennett, who plays Mrs. Henderson and has lived in London for almost four decades.
“It’s heritage, it’s like the royal family is always there, these theatres have always been there to us.”
Part of her character’s contribution to the theatre’s history was her idea to have performers strip down. That’s also why the musical’s online description cautions the audience to expect a display of “elegant nudity.”
Johnson said for both past and present-day “Windmill Girls,” stripping down was a gesture that was intended to make them feel stronger.
“What people don’t realize is that it’s an act of empowerment, and most actors who have done nude scenes will tell you that,” Johnson said.
“You kind of expect you’re going to lower your status by taking all your clothes off. The opposite happens. Your status rises and you’re the most powerful person in the room.”
“You kind of expect you’re going to lower your status by taking all your clothes off. The opposite happens.” TERRY JOHNSON WRITER AND DIRECTOR, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Johnson noted that, for him, it was important that no one who got naked onstage was anonymous. He wanted to make sure his audience knew the characters and their personalities first.
A modern-day incarnation of the theatre still exists.
The Windmill International calls itself London’s longest-running strip club and host of the city’s first fully naked dancers (albeit, once motionless).
The current strip club embraces its history, boasting that it’s “proud to have never closed its doors, not even during the Blitz.” Mrs. Henderson Presents is at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. W., until April 23rd. See mirvish.com or call 416-872-1212.