“The Lady In The Van” by Alan Bennett.
Spotlight Theatre.

"The Lady in The Van" tells the true story of Alan Bennett's strained friendship with Miss Mary Shepherd, an eccentric homeless woman whom Bennett befriended in the 1970s before allowing her temporarily to park her Bedford van in the driveway of his Camden home.

She stayed there for 15 years. As the story develops Bennett learns that Miss Shepherd is really Margaret Fairchild, a former gifted pupil of the pianist Alfred Cortot.

She had played Chopin in a promenade concert, tried to become a nun, was committed to an institution by her brother, escaped, had an accident when her van was hit by a motorcyclist for which she believed herself to blame, and thereafter lived in fear of arrest.

The story was made into a film in 2015 starring Maggie Smith, who also starred in the West End play, and Alex Jennings.

I have never seen the film but Amanda Pearce who played Miss Shepherd gave a cracking performance and sounded not unlike Dame Maggie.

Alan Bennett was portrayed as two Bennetts by Matthew Clapp, who I don;t recall seeing before but he seems to have a real ear for accents and especially Bennett's Leeds accent along with all of his trademark way of talking.

Matching Matthew as the second Bennett was someone I do know from many local theatre performances, but I had to check the cast list as I really did not recognise Joseph Smith at all.He looked so different without his facial hair, his Bennett hair do and glasses. He's also got an ear for the accent.

Playing Bennett's Mam was Molly Wright on Saturday but on Sunday will be played by Carolyne Willow. Carolyne also played Miss Sheppard's doctor as well as the interviewer who popped round to interview Bennett.

Bennett's easy going but slightly nutty neighbours, Rufus and Pauline, were played by Patrick McChrystal and Maggie Burrows.

Miss Sheppard's Social Worker was played by Rachel Ross. You wouldn't expect Social workers to come across as comical but Rachel brought out the comedy in the part.

Dan Wolff played four parts here. A foul mouthed lout who was after Miss Shepherd for something. Something we discovered at the end of the play, Underwood, Mam's doctor and the ambulance driver.

Mike Newbold played Miss Shepherd's brother, Leo Fairchild and Laura Ellisplayed the Council Worker.

This is a lovely gentle comedy with a few naughty words sprinkled around, typical of Bennett's dry sense of humour, which is also brilliantly put across by Matthew and Joseph.

Directed by Liam Hall and assisted by Dan Wolff, the gentleness of the piece is helped by the steady pace of the play.

There is a subtle sound scape (Rob Kettridge) which creates the atmosphere of outside the Bennett house, where most of the action takes place along with his garden, and is set between 1974 and 1989. We know this because there are verbal nods to historic elements throughout.

I'm so pleased that this was my introduction to this play because I'd got nothing to compare it to, If I see the film now, I'll be comparing it to this.

"The Lady In The Van" is also being performed on Sunday 17 June 2018 at the Studio Theatre, College Street, Nottingham, Go out and support your local theatre and actors, especially when the talent is this good.