Laura Henderson

Laura Henderson (6 December 1863 – 29 November 1944) born Laura Forster,[1] rose to prominence during the 1930s when, as a wealthy and eccentric widow, she founded the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street, in partnership with Vivian van Damm. Under the leadership of Henderson, as owner, and van Damm as manager, the theatre became a British institution, famed for its pioneering tableaux vivants of motionless female nudity, and for having "never closed" during the Blitz.[2]

Laura Henderson
Laura Henderson, 1944
Born
Laura Forster

(1863-12-06)6 December 1863
Died29 November 1944(1944-11-29) (aged 80)
SpouseRobert Henderson
Children1

At the time of her death in 1944, newspapers described her as "the mother of non-stop variety in London."[3][4][5]

Biography

Laura Henderson was the well-travelled socialite wife[6] of a jute merchant, Robert Henderson. The couple lost their only son, Alec Henderson, in 1915, in France, during the First World War. Her husband died in 1919, leaving her a wealthy widow.

In 1931, she bought the Palais de Luxe cinema building and hired architect Howard Jones to restyle the interior to create a tiny, one-tier theatre, renamed the Windmill.[7] The Windmill Theatre opened on 22 June 1931 as a playhouse, but it was not profitable and soon returned to showing films. Henderson then hired Vivian Van Damm, and they produced Revudeville, a programme of continuous variety with eighteen entertainment acts. This also was a commercial failure. Henderson reportedly lost £26,000 during the theatre's early operation.[8]

They then included nudity to their staging to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge in Paris.[9] The key element was Van Damm's exploitation of a legal loophole (or zone of tolerance) that nude statues could not be banned on moral grounds, and this led to the legendary "Windmill Girls" who appeared completely nude but stood completely still, so as to emulate nude statuary. The theatre stayed open during World War II despite demands from the government for her to shut it down.[10]

Death

Upon her death on 30 November 1944,[11][12][13] Henderson bequeathed the Windmill to "My Dear Bop", Vivian Van Damm. In his 1952 autobiography, Van Damm described her as "a great strain on one's nerves, patience and tact".[14]

Laura Henderson was portrayed by Judi Dench in the 2005 film Mrs Henderson Presents, for which Dench was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film was later adapted into a stage musical.[15]

In 2016, Henderson was portrayed by Tracie Bennett in the stage adaptation of the film, which opened at the Noël Coward Theatre.[16]

References
  1. Laura Henderson biography accessed 1-1-2016
  2. "Windmill Theatre Owner Is Dead." Kingston, Canada: The Kingston Whig-Standard, 30 November 1944, p. 19 (subscription required).
  3. "Mrs. Laura Henderson: Famous Stage Figure Dead." Birmingham, England: Birmingham Gazette, 30 November 1944, p. 3 (subscription required).
  4. Laura Henderson's death notice, in "In Brief." London England: Daily Herald, 30 November 1944, p. 3 (subscription required).
  5. "Theatricals' "Fairy Godmother" Is Dead." Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Newcastle Journal, 30 November 1944, p. 1 (subscription required).
  6. "Mrs. Laura Henderson: Famous Stage Figure Dead," Birmingham Gazette, 30 November 1944.
  7. "Theatricals' "Fairy Godmother" Is Dead," Newcastle Journal, 30 November 1944.
  8. "Mrs. Laura Henderson: Famous Stage Figure Dead," Birmingham Gazette, 30 November 1944.
  9. "Big Change from Grandma's Time." Edmonton, Canada: The Edmonton Bulletin, 4 February 1944, p. 11 (subscription required).
  10. "Windmill Theatre Owner Is Dead," The Kingston Whig-Standard, 30 November 1944.
  11. "Mrs. Laura Henderson: Famous Stage Figure Dead," Birmingham Gazette, 30 November 1944.
  12. Laura Henderson's death notice, in "In Brief," Daily Herald, 30 November 1944.
  13. "Theatricals' "Fairy Godmother" Is Dead," Newcastle Journal, 30 November 1944.
  14. Van Damm, Vivian (1952). Tonight and Every Night (First ed.). Stanley Paul & Co. ASIN B001A9M454.
  15. "Stage Version of Mrs. Henderson Presents Will Premiere in Summer 2015". playbill.com. Playbill. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  16. Wolf, Matt. "Tony Nominee Tracie Bennett on Ignoring Judi Dench, Obsessing Over NYC and Starring in London's Mrs. Henderson Presents." New York, New York: Broadway.com & Theatre Direct International, 25 February 2016.
  • Rose, Charlie. 'Mrs. Henderson Presents" (video of interview with Judi Dench who portrayed Laura Henderson in the film, "Mrs. Henderson Presents." New York, New York: Charlie Rose LLC, 6 December 2005.
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