MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS

Recently widowed well-to-do Laura Henderson 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 to run it, despite the fact the two don't seem to get on 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, who licenses live shows in Britain, is likely to have something to say about this. Luckily Mrs Henderson is friends with him.

TEA WITH MUSSOLINI
Florence 1934: A diverse group of cultured ladies meet for tea each afternoon: Lady Hester Random (Maggie Smith), widow of the British Ambassador to Italy, Arabella (Judi Dench), an artist and singer, Georgie (Lily Tomlin), the exuberant American archaeologist, and the brash and uninhibited Elsa (Cher). One of their fold, Mary (Joan Plowright), becomes surrogate mother to a young boy, Luca, and he is soon virtually adopted and brought up by the group of ladies. But the shifting political climate begins to have serious consequences for this unconventional community and the maturing Luca must face up to a personal challenge of independence. Director Franco Zefferelli (Hamlet, The Champ, Romeo and Juliet), with co- screenwriter John Mortimer, based Tea With Mussolini on his own experiences growing up in Florence.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.