Filumena Marturano is a retired prostitute. Unbeknown to her faithless lover, Domenico, Filumena has three adult sons and has been using his money to pay for their upbringing. Feigning near death, Filumena persuades Domenico to marry her, thereby providing a legitimate name for her sons. When Domenico realizes the trick, he tries to engineer an annulment. Timberlake Wertenbaker's vibrant new version of Filippo's modern classic premiered in London at the Piccadilly Theatre in a production directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Judi Dench and Michael Pennington.