Play on William Gillette’s ‘Gentleman Valet,’ Yukitaka Osaki, to Be Staged Inside Castle

LYME/EAST HADDAM, CT – An original one-man play about Yukitaka Osaki, the longtime valet and companion to famed actor William Gillette, will be staged inside Gillette Castle State Park later this month.

“Osaki-san, William Gillette’s Gentleman Valet,” produced by the East Haddam Stage Company, will feature actor Taku Hirai portraying an elderly Osaki reflecting on his life, from his arrival in America in the late 1800s to his years working alongside Gillette. The 60-minute performance will take place in the castle’s main living area, offering an intimate setting for audiences of about 48 people.

Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from April 23 to May 2. The final show will include a discussion with Hirai and playwright Kandie Carle.

The production is sponsored by the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park, with proceeds supporting preservation efforts, including plans to restore Osaki’s former riverfront home.

Carle, who also produced the show, described the castle’s living room as the perfect setting for the play. 

“It is the exact historic environment where Yukitaka Osaki and William Gillette actually conversed on a daily basis,” Carle said. 

Osaki continued to live in his home just below the castle, gifted to him by Gillette, for several years after the celebrated actor’s death in 1937. 

Friends of Gillette Castle President Lynn Wilkinson described the play as fascinating, uplifting and inspiring. 

“His life is a powerful local example to better understand the experience of early Japanese immigrants to America,” she said. 

Tickets are $40–$50 and available at gillettecastlefriends.org. The castle itself remains closed to general visitors until its seasonal reopening on May 23, though the park grounds are open year-round.