Wednesday 8 July 2009
The Lady in The Van is an Alan Bennett play based on real life events. Miss Mary Shepherd lived in an old Bedford van in Bennett’s street but was forced to move on with the advent of double yellow lines and the threat of being towed away by the authorities. Bennett allowed the cantankerous old lady to move her van into his garden for a few months – that became 15 years! The play used two Bennetts, one semi-narrating and the other performing. There was a minimum of scenery but it all worked well enough to carry the play through, with the outline of a Bedford van being the main prop. The actors did a fine job and our only criticism with the play was that at times we had to strain to hear what the actors were saying. The Nuffield Theatre is always a trial as the rows of seats are so close together and you find yourself with your knees somewhat jammed against the row in front and this does sometimes detract from viewing pleasure.
Juniper June
Branch Manager
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