Surprises in store

With intrigue, nostalgia and a cast of complex characters, Ladies In Black opens the doors to a gripping new drama

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Swing back to the 1960s with U's striking new Australian drama about life in a swanky Sydney department store.

Set in 1961 and based on Madeleine St John’s beloved 1993 novel The Women In Black, it’s a quietly radical tale of women pushing against the expectations of their time.

Leading the cast in this six-part series is veteran actress Debi Mazar, who plays Magda, the Head of Model Gowns at Sydney's elegant Goodes department store. She's chic, sharp and secretly bruised by a life filled with loss. “I made Magda Polish,” Debi says. “She says ‘I’ve had so many losses’, so I created a back story for her. She's married to Stefan but I imagine she might have married someone who was Jewish. I feel that she lost a baby. Magda’s life has not been easy.”

As Magda prepares to leave Goodes to open her own boutique — a dream she’s nurtured for years — she ropes in her beloved colleagues for one last celebration. “Her dream has always been to have her own boutique, her own business,” Debi says. “She is someone who sees the future of fashion.”

But Magda’s departure sends shockwaves through the department. Among the most devastated are Fay and Lisa, played by Jessica De Gouw and Clare Hughes — women at very different stages of self-discovery.