Ada is a hard-working cleaner serving the lives of others – her demanding clients. But when she spies a Christian Dior dress in Lady Dant’s wardrobe, everything changes: it’s “something to make you feel”, a burst of colour, of fantasy, amid the gloom of postwar London. So, Ada dedicates herself to buying her own Dior creation – not easy when it costs an entire year’s wages, and there are rigid class barriers to overcome. A la señora de la limpieza no la impresionaban los títulos, la riqueza, la posición ni la estirpe, pero sí la afectaba el encanto que envolvía cualquier cosa o a cualquier persona que estuviera relacionado con el teatro, la televisión o el cine.»

On the Riverside’s shallow stage, Nik Corrall’s set does a clever job of conjuring the various venues where Mrs Harris cleans, but even with the help of some imaginative lighting from Adam King, it can’t quite suggest the opening up of Ada’s mind that her trip to Paris involves. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris (1992) a TV movie stars Angela Lansbury, Diana Rigg, and Omar Sharif. The film was produced by Lansbury's production company Corymore Productions, and directed by Lansbury's son, Anthony Shaw. The production (originally directed by Daniel Evans, now helmed by Bronagh Lagan) also has its cast double up, playing their counterparts in London and Paris. It’s a witty conceit, but it means we retreat familiar ground, like the halting courtship between two youngsters, rather than thoroughly developing one set of characters.The ending at least offers up a quietly beautiful scene, although it did make me wish there had been others littered throughout the production. As a whole this undoubtedly has a gentle charm, and there’s no crime in offering a glimpse of a world which is simplistic and optimistic, but I still wish there had been more of the book’s depth and emotional heft. This Cinderella story dares you to dream, while also stressing the value of grounded, caring relationships. As Dior model Natasha explains, sometimes you want parties and Champagne, but sometimes you just want to share chocolate cake with the person you love. Davidson is currently researching shoes, which she sees as a particularly stark example of the transformative powers of dress – whether in the everyday sense, or in the realm of myth and folktale. "They can facilitate or hinder how we move through the world, and the strides we take literally or metaphorically in everything from seven league boots to Air Jordans," she explains. "Because footwear is the foundation of our posture, shoes also affect the whole way we stand and hold ourselves, the structures of our body." Bronagh Lagan directs and leads a creative team that includes musical director Jonathan Gill, movement director Anjali Mehra, assistant director Teenie Macleod, set designer Nik Corrall, lighting designer Adam King, sound designer Charlie Smith, and costumer designer Sara Perks.

That’s Mrs Ada Harris, a widowed London cleaning lady. A practical woman and a reliable worker, she left her good friend Mrs Violet Butterfield to look after her clients while she was away.

Claire Machin, Louis Maskell, Mark Meadows, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Nicola Sloane, Luke Latchman

And it was that love of beauty and colour that called Mrs Harris to Paris. It all started when one of her clients left her wardrobe door open … Following an original production at the Sheffield Crucible in 2016 and a successful Chichester Theatre Festival run, Flowers For Mrs Harris makes its London premiere at Riverside Studios. Based on the 1958 book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, this is the endearing story of a working class London cleaner. After catching sight of a Dior gown at the home of a client, Mrs Ada Harris is enthralled by the idea of owning her own Dior gown and sets about working tirelessly to make this dream a reality.