In preparation for its premiere this August, at Edinburgh Fringe, producers of new musical Wallis announce the cast.
Jane Bramwell and Michael Brand (“bring a lot of variety to their memorable songs” – The Scotsman) have penned a brand new musical telling the story of Wallis Simpson, through her own eyes.
After their success with 2023’s Guilty of Love, BramwellBrand’s latest musical tells the story of a woman swept away by circumstance, and the King who gave up his crown for her. Prince Edward, bored with the constraints of monarchy, falls in love with an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, and gives up everything for her.
Director Joanna Harte, said “This show has allowed me to delve into a world of ambition, sacrifice and a blindness of love, along with discovering a time in history that on the surface seemed to be controlled, affluent and passionate but underneath was filled with fear, ruthlessness and single mindedness.”
Wallis begins when Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson meet at a party and journeys through until Edward’s abdication of the throne. The show focuses on Wallis Simpson’s ambition and love for both Prince Edward and her husband Ernest, ultimately leaving audiences questioning if she was in love with either of them.
Joanna added “It’s fascinating to see the beginnings of media intrusion and obsession with the whys and wherefores of the Royal family, which sadly we have seen the damage it can have in the present. On the positive side Wallis does reflect how far the Royal Family has come (although some may say we still have far to go) – we do of course have a Queen Consort which Wallis never even got close to becoming.”
Wallis sees the Edinburgh Fringe debut for actor Megan O’Hara, who is playing the title role. Megan said “There are so many different layers to Wallis, that I think people don’t pick up on initially and I can’t wait to bring these other sides of her to the surface”
Wallis is definitely a show for fans of The Crown, as audiences will instantly recognise this royal twisted tale of Wallis Simpson: but is it a love story, or is she a woman trapped by her own ambition, fuelled by the eye of the media?
Tickets now on sale for the Edinburgh run with London dates to be announced.
The cast includes: Megan O’Hara (La Traviata – Opera Nordfjord) as Wallis Simpson, Rhys Anderson (Hamlet – TNT/ADG) as Edward VIII, Simon Pavelich (Man of La Mancha – Oslo Opera House) as Ernest Simpson, and completing the cast; Megan Beth-Pattie (Snow White – Imagine Theatre), Scott Coltman, (One Man, Two Guvnors – The Brunton Theatre), Elspeth Day-Collins (News Revue – The Canal Cafe), Jasmine Elder (Dream Team Kids – Children’s Series) and Andrew Williams (Absent Friends – Sheringham Rep).
