Star!

In 1940, Gertrude "Gertie" Lawrence sits in a screening room watching a documentary about her life. The film stitches together past moments with her present perspective, inviting the audience to trace her rise. The sequence frames the story as a life recalled as much as lived.

In 1915, Gertie leaves Clapham to join her vaudevillian father in a shabby Brixton music hall. She throws herself into the stage, chasing the thrill of performance. This departure marks the first major step in a long career on the boards.

Gertie secures a chorus berth in André Charlot's West End revue. Charlot resents her attempts to stand out and threatens to fire her. Stage manager Jack Roper intervenes, hiring her as a general understudy to the leads.

She marries stage manager Jack Roper, tying her personal life to the backstage world. Yet her hunger to perform remains stronger than the pull of domestic life. The marriage becomes a hinge in her career as she tests the balance between home and stage.

While pregnant, Gertie goes on for an absent star and delivers a show-stopping performance of Burlington Bertie. The audience erupts with warmth, and both Charlot and Roper recognize that she belongs on the stage. The moment signals the birth of her public star power.

After Pamela is born, Roper takes the baby on a pub crawl, leaving Gertie furious and feeling betrayed. The incident strains their marriage and foreshadows the costs of juggling motherhood with stardom. This domestic tension contrasts with the rising spotlight.

Sir Anthony Spencer, an English nobleman, courts Gertie and polishes her rough edges into a more refined public persona. The relationship helps her transition from rough vaudeville to a polished society figure. The pairing marks a new phase in her social ascent.

Caught at a chic supper club when she should be sick, Gertie is fired from Charlot's Revue. The setback coincides with Spencer's influence, catalyzing a glamorous reinvention. She pivots toward a broader public profile as a result.

Coward persuades Charlot to feature Gertie in his new production, launching her comeback. As the revue opens in New York City, she enjoys fresh attention and a string of suitors—an actor and a banker—expanding her romantic horizon. This marks a major leap to international stardom.

Gertie rides a wave of earnings that eventually leads to financial strain as her spending outpaces income. She fights to pay back creditors and restore her glamour despite mounting debts. The arc shows both the price of fame and the resilience behind it.

As her career climbs, Gertie's relationship with her daughter Pamela drifts apart across long distances. The separation tests motherhood against a soaring stage career. The bond frays even as she becomes a major star.

Pamela cancels a planned holiday with Gertie, and she gets extremely drunk at a surprise party thrown by Coward. American producer Richard Aldrich returns to offer an honest assessment and invites her to Cape Playhouse to pursue the lead. The encounter sets up a personal and professional turning point.

Back on Broadway, Gertie struggles with the crucial "The Saga of Jenny" number in Lady in the Dark. Aldrich and Coward recognize her potential and push her toward a bolder, more precise performance. A nightclub outing with them helps unlock the insight she needs.

She delivers a rousing performance that cements her as a star, and eight years later marries Aldrich as she achieves triumph in The King and I. Her life ends tragically with liver cancer at age 54, closing a dazzling but turbulent career. The arc ties together love, fame, and a life lived in the spotlight.