The Duchess, a.k.a. Wallis Simpson

by Linda Griffiths

The Duchess: a.k.a. Wallis Simpson takes us into a kaleidoscopic wonderland, where Kings and Queens dance the Black Bottom, Faerie creatures demand blood, and Empires are given up for love. The play tells the story of the woman for whom Edward VIII abdicated his throne. It journeys into the emotional centre of a plain, brash, sexual woman who danced through her ulcers and collapsed only when the cocktails ran out - a woman destined to become the Black Queen of her time. This multi-layered script finds a place between straight-forward narrative and magic realism.