Mysterious royal tale plays out at John Rennie

The Lakeshore Players will present a fictional tale based on an obscure connection between a real Canadian woman and a member of the British royalty.

Queen Millie of Gault, penned by award-winning playwright Gary Kirkham, is based on a gravestone inscription added by an-80-year-old Ontario woman in the small town of Gault where she claimed to be the wife of Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) shortly after he died at the age of 78 in 1972. While Edward, then Prince of Wales, passed through the town while on a royal tour of Canada in 1919 no one knows for sure what happened between them in real life but this romantic mystery has been turned into a witty play, which won the Samuel French Canadian Playwriting Contest in 2004.

The Lakeshore Players cast, consisting of Rebecca Croll (Milli) Mark Waters (Edward), Clive Brewer (Godfrey), Sandy Ferguson (Mrs. Milroy) and Claire Shamy (Mona), is directed by Hudson resident Mary Vuorela.

“This is my first time with Lakeshore Players. They’re a very exciting group. They have a strong amount of resources available to them,” said Vuorela, who has had worked with productions at Hudson Village Theatre before.

Though billed as a romantic comedy, Vuorela said it’s hard to label the play. “It’s also kind of sad at times. There are some dramatic poignant moments. It also makes some social commentaries (regarding women) . . . at the turn of the century,” she added.

Kirkham is set to watch a performance by the venerable West Island amateur troupe next week.

Queen Millie of Gault runs April 22 to 25 and from April 29 to May 2 at 8 p.m. at John Rennie Theatre, 501 St. John’s Blvd., Pointe Claire.

For tickets, call the box office at 514-631-8718 or check www.lakeshoreplayersdorval.org.