STOURBRIDGE'S Enville Street Dramatic Society is set to stage The Lady in the Van later this month.
The play tells the true story of genteel vagrant Miss Mary Shepherd who parked her Bedford van for 15 years in the Camden driveway of playwright Alan Bennett's home.
Carey Esthop stars as 'the lady in the van' - famously portrayed by Dame Maggie Smith in the 2015 movie version - while Lee Morgan-Salcombe and David Lavender both play Alan Bennett.
Tickets for the show can be booked online at www.envillestreetdramatic.org.uk or people can call 07941 906069 or 01384 356600, or email csesthop@blueyonder.co.uk.
The play tells the story of Bennett's somewhat strained friendship with crabby, unsanitary and eccentric Miss Shepherd who had been a gifted pianist as a child before she gave up music to become a nun. After WWII she was briefly committed to a mental institution because of her constant arguing with their mother; and she later went on the run when a motorcyclist struck her van and was killed. The accident wasn’t her fault, but Shepherd fled the scene - ultimately winding up homeless in front of Bennett’s home.
The play will be presented at Holy Trinity Church Hall, Amblecote, from November 27 to 30, with performances starting at 7.30pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here