AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: The Lady In The Van - The Garrick Playhouse, Altrincham.

‘The Lady In The Van’ premiered on the West End Stage in 1999, a decade after the ‘lady’ in question passed away. A true story about an elderly woman living out of a van that was parked on the famous playwright Alan Bennett’s driveway for 15 years and has since been made into a novel, a radio play and most recently a feature film. This woman, Miss Shephard, intended to stay for only three months, but as the character states in the play, ‘I shan’t die in a hurry’, which is responded to by Bennett with ‘And she didn’t’.   

This production from the Altrincham Garrick was due to be performed back in 2019, but due to a not so little worldwide pandemic, the production had no choice but to be halted two weeks prior to its opening night. Now, nearly two years' later, the Garrick have finally been able to bring Bennett’s play to the stage.

Directed by Carole Carr, a long term actor and director at the Altrincham Garrick, this production was very naturalistic for the most part, relying heavily on the script and performances above all else. This seems to be Carr’s usual style of directing, and she manages this well and to great effect. Carr made us wait for the reveal of the full sized van which the actors shared the stage with from around twenty minutes onwards. This was clearly a treat worth waiting for, as confirmed by the audience’s ‘wow’s.

Celia Bonner took on the role of Miss Shephard, or the lady in the van if you prefer, and it has to be said her performance was excellent. Her characterisation was well thought out and never faltered. From the slight tremor in her hands to her marginally wavering voice, she had clearly put a lot of work into this role. Bonner’s comic timing must also be mentioned, as she had the audience giggling at many points.

The script calls for two Alan Bennetts; one to primarily narrate the story, and the other to re-enact said tale. The Bennetts are played by Jonathan Black and Mike Shaw respectively, and the two actors seemed to have good communication and understanding of one another. Black and Shaw spoke almost seamlessly as one person, which I gather is the point that director Carr wanted to make. They acted much like bickering brothers, showing the internal monologue we all have with ourselves in times of confusion and stress.

The lighting must also be mentioned, as Geoff Scullard created some really beautiful outdoor scenes and one memorable moment in the second act in which the lighting seemed to be really quite technical but had a great effect. The setting and wardrobe are also always very professional and believable and ‘The Lady In The Van’ was no exception.

A touching and at times moving play about the elderly women in Alan Bennett’s life, which was also filled with countless humorous moments. One in particular that the audience responded well to was the moment when human faeces are removed from the outside of a dustbin with a sheet of newspaper. Although a couple of the play’s jokes maybe weren’t found to be as funny as they were when the play first premiered 22 years ago, ‘The Lady In The Van’ is a cleverly written play and the Garrick brings out those comedic moments well. It is a joy to be watching productions at the Altrincham Garrick again, and as I often say about productions at the Garrick, it is easy to forget that this theatre has an amateur status at times as their plays are always seamless and carried out to a high standard.       

Reviewer – Megan Relph
on - 4.10.21