'The Lady In The Van' review

Malvern Festival Theatre

THE LADY IN THE VAN (Hull Truck Theatre & Richard Jordan Productions)

Teaming up the immense writing talents of Alan Bennett with the epic theatrical skills of Hull Truck Theatre, two of Britain’s biggest creative contributors to the arts for the last half a century, was a stroke of pure genius. This autobiographical tale introduces us to an eccentric character that, literally, pulls up in Alan Bennett’s life one day to become an unavoidable part of his existence for the next fifteen years. This mysterious lady has a deeply profound effect on him and his psyche, both of whom recount these events for us, in their typical Bennett fashion.

Casting Nichola McAuliffe in the eponymous role of the lady in the van was a second stroke of genius. Her performance is exceptional! She gives a masterclass in character acting that puts her up there with two other untouchable theatrical performances, one by Dame Maggie Smith in Bed Amoung The Lentils and the other by Jane Lapotaire in Henry Eighth. Sean McKenzie and Paul Kemp brilliantly match McAuliffe’s performance as the two Alan Bennetts and delightfully capture his nuances and affectations with reassuring truth and believability. The remainder of the cast are perfect in their roles as they drop in and out of this fascinating story and undeniably help make this the superb show it is.

Sarah Esdaile has truly shown her metal here as a wonderfully encouraging director to achieve such incredible performances and help generate a future stage classic. Ben Stones set is utterly enchanting and the final “ascension” is the third stroke of genius. Inspired!

The Lady In The Van is theatre gold or, more appropriately, crushed mimosa… possibly! This is one definitely to see. If you liked The History Boys, you’ll love this! It runs at Malvern Festival Theatre until Saturday. Go and see it!

'Ladies In Lavender' Review

Malvern Festival Theatre

LADIES IN LAVENDER (Daniel Schumann and Lee Dean with Charles Diamond and Royal & Derngate Productions)

An all-new stage production of the charming film, Ladies in Lavender, is enchanting audiences at Malvern Festival Theatre this week. Sisters, Ursula and Janet, find the regularity of their Cornish idyll is interrupted when a mysterious, young foreigner is washed up on the beach one morning in 1937. This serendipitous event reignites dying embers of love for more than one of the village’s residents, changing their lives forever.

The legendary Hayley Mills and Belinda Lang are brilliant in their respective roles of the sisters, Ursula and Janet. They give equally exquisite and believable performances that make it impossible not to fall for their delightful characters. Robert Rees is perfect as Andrea, the Polish stranger, demonstrating excellent vocal dexterity with the accent and foreign language. Robert Duncan gives a wonderfully awkward performance as Dr Mead, whose puppy-dog love advances are deftly parried by the artist, Olga, stoically played by Abigail Thaw. Carol Macready positively revels in the superb role afforded her as the housekeeper, Dorcas. Ever present and quick to comment, she has the audience in the palm of her hand throughout.

Superbly directed by Robin Lefevre using a stunning set, cleverly designed by Liz Ascroft, the audience are transported to from the craggy coast to the quaint cottage in the blink of an eye with the help of Mick Hughes’ beautifully lighting, as John Leonard’s sound design evokes the peace and tranquillity of Cornwall. This is a gentle, endearing story of unrequited and lost love that provides the perfect escape for an early summer’s evening this week.

'Educating Rita' Review

Malvern Festival Theatre

EDUCATING RITA (Theatre Royal Bath & Chocolate Factory Productions)

Theatre Royal Bath and Chocolate Factory Productions bring the modern classic, Educating Rita to Malvern Theatres this week. This charming, inspirational play was brought to the mainstream in the early eighties with Michael Cane and Julie Walters starring in the movie version of this two-hander. Penned by the creative genius behind the record breaking musical Blood Brothers and the endearing Shirley Valentine, this semi-biographical play explores the divide between social class and education.

Matthew Kelly revels in the role of disillusioned lecturer, Frank, who has developed an unhealthy relationship with whiskey to help himself cope with his failed career and doomed relationships. His path to self-destruction, however, is momentarily interrupted by the arrival of the brash and witty Rita, a frustrated hairdresser with a passion for learning and desire to better herself, played by the lovely Claire Sweeney.

Tamara Harvey’s direction challenges conventional stagecraft creating, a real sense of voyeurism, leaving the audience feeling as if they are witnessing moments of a private relationship rather than watching a play. Stepping into roles made famous by two British screen icons will be difficult for any actor and although Kelly and Sweeney are secure and handle the text with ease and dexterity, there is an overall lack of variety in their performances. The emotions tend to be of a similar level, throughout the story, when many more emotional highs and lows were needed. It is apparent that these actors are lovely people but this is to their detriment, as there is a general lack of tension between them, sexual or otherwise. Casting Sweeney in a role for which she was a good decade too old doesn’t help.

Having said this, Willy Russell’s script is an absolute delight, full of humour and pathos and definitely worth experiencing. The story is truly inspirational with some brilliant one-liners.