AN elderly widow who rediscovered a play written by her late husband before his death at 46 is appealing for a drama group to bring it back to the stage one last time.

The late husband of 87-year-old Lillian Maskew, Vernon Maskew, wrote a three act musical/play more than 40 years ago.

The engineer had no prior experience of playwriting when he wrote “The Impossible – twice!” in his late 30s.

He wrote the script singlehandedly in his spare time and, with the help of friend Tony Garner, produced several songs to accompany it.

The musical had been put on at a church hall in Sale at the time but sadly it was to be the one and only performance of the show.

Vernon passed away at the age of 46 and the script, along with the sheet music, has been sitting in a box for 41 years.

But Lillian, who is originally from Stretford but now lives in Sale, said one day the play randomly popped into her head and she decided to dig it out. And she is appealing for a drama group to revive the show and bring it to the stage once again.

“I always thought since Vernon died that I have a guardian angel, I have had so many things happen in my life, things that have always worked out, you wouldn’t believe,” said Lillian.

“The play just came into my mind; I hadn’t thought about it for more than 20 years. Anybody interested in the play can have it with pleasure. How wonderful it would be to see it all over again.”

Vernon’s play is a moral one and Lillian said it would suit a church drama group.

When the play was put on 40 years ago, Lillian played one of the main characters, the vicar’s wife.

She had plenty of practice on the stage, having been a dancer at the Palace Theatre in her youth. She was later scouted as a model and appeared in two films, including the 1948 film “Holidays with Pay”, with Irish star Josef Locke.

Lillian, who recently lost her third husband, was not the only family member to play a part in the “The Impossible – twice!” – Vernon himself played the vicar and their two daughters, Pauline and Julie, also starred in the show.

Although the rediscovery of the play moved Lillian, it was the music that really stood out for her.

Songs include, “There’s something about a family”, “You’ve made me love again”, and “Cheer up”.

“Vernon didn’t even play the piano,” said Lillian. “He must have got help with that side of things but he wrote all the lyrics.

“And the words are so nice, when I was reading them, it was suitable for my life in some ways, they are about feeling lonely and making a friend, it’s as if Vernon knew and wrote them for me now. It is amazing and I can’t quite believe it.

“If there was a clever musician out there who could put the songs on tape, I would pay for them to do it, just to listen to them again.”

If you would like to enquire about the script and music sheets, with a view of performing the play or music, contact us at cara.cunningham@nqnw.co.uk or call 0161 848 5229.