Maggie and Pierre & The Duchess

Part fairy tale, part historical treatise, these two modern epics from one of Canada’s most highly acclaimed playwrights examine the landscape of changing nations and opposing ideals.
A one-woman show chronicling the relationship that shaped a modern nation, Maggie and Pierre presents an idealized society with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as the philosopher king of Canada, Margaret Trudeau as his flower-child wife, and journalist Henry as the disillusioned reporter. Within this triangle of classic archetypes, personal love vies with love of country, and passion challenges reason, steering a nation’s history. Winner of the first Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, this inspired story still crackles with the energy that took the country by storm at the height of the Trudeaus’ popularity.
The Duchess enters the audacious world of Wallis Simpson—from the filth of Shanghai brothels to the regal splendor of Buckingham Palace—shedding light on the infamous woman for whom King Edward VIII would eventually abdicate his throne. In this adult Alice in Wonderland, Wallis’s personified jewels, her Royal Court chorus, and the royal family themselves dance us through the personal, the political, and the fabulist, giving us a glimpse at the life of the controversial woman who diverted the course of the twentieth century.
“An often funny and usually intelligent attempt to use the Trudeaus—their relationship with each other and with us—as a touchstone for the shattered ideals, the betrayed hopes and the still-simmering tensions of the past decade.”
—Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail on Maggie and Pierre
“A clever, witty piece that swirls together Wallis and Edward, Hitler, Noël Coward, the future Queen Mum, and even Simpson’s personified jewels.”
—Jon Kaplan and Glen Sumi, NOW Magazine on The Duchess
Linda Griffiths is an actress, producer, and writer who has received numerous awards for her contributions to theatre. She has won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including wins for Maggie and Pierre, O.D. in Paradise, Jessica, and Alien Creature; a Gemini award; two Chalmers Canadian Play Awards for Jessica and Alien Creature; and a Quizanne International Festival award for Jessica. Linda has twice been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award. She lives in Toronto.