Rep talk: Meet the Lady in the Van

Kerry Girdwood plays the title role in The Lady in the Van at Repertory Theatre. Photo / Dee Brough

Kerry Girdwood bubbles with enthusiasm talking about her role in The Lady in the Van.

Miss Shepherd not only drove the van but lived in it for 15 years in playwright Alan Bennett's front garden.

"I first saw the play in London in the year 2000 starring Maggie Smith. The stage play has a tension that the film lacks because the film explains a lot of Miss Shepherd's story at the beginning, whereas the stage play gradually reveals her background, drawing the audience into the story.

"It's beautifully crafted. There's not a wasted word in the script. You know, Alan Bennett rewrote the script several times and I think that's why it took so long for the rights to become available," Kerry says.

Both the characters of Miss Shepherd and Alan Bennett are based on real people but the other characters, eg, the neighbours Rufus and Pauline, are composites of people who were there at the time.

I asked Kerry about Alan Bennett's relationship with Miss Shepherd.

"He's fascinated by her and at the same time, he's appalled by her. He does rather admire her because she's so indomitable and she's determined to remain indomitable. She's resilient too. Of course the older she gets the harder it gets but you can't help but admire her."

This experienced actor / director (Kerry directs The Lady in the Van as well as acting in it) has a great deal of admiration for Alan Bennett.

"In the UK Alan Bennett is the darling of the theatre world. He's an award-winning playwright having written Single Spies about the Cambridge Group, Monty Python and many others."

Kerry agrees that Alan Bennett also creates an interesting portrait of himself in The Lady in the Van.

Despite the fact that Miss Shepherd's story is a tragic one there's some really humorous dialogue. As the director says it has subtlety and is cleverly nuanced.

I know this play fairly well, having read it several times and watched it in rehearsal. It still has me chuckling. It's a goodie so don't miss it.

The Lady in the Van opens at 7.30pm at Repertory Theatre on Thursday, August 25 with following evening performances on August 26, 27, and 31, and September 1, 2, and 3. The matinee is on at 2pm on Sunday, August 28.

Bookings at the Royal Whanganui Opera House.