performances to make it very believable that they were in fact the same person. I found all three totally engaging throughout, which is impressive as this is quite a long play. There were many moments that I especially enjoyed but ones that particularly stood out to me were Eleanor's balletic hand gestures as she was driving the van (delivered with such grace, just as Alan Bennet describes), and the scene where Alan (played by James) pushes Miss Shepherd in the wheelchair, spinning her around and racing her, and we got to witness the pure joy on her face. This was especially poignant considering that, despite the significant humour in the role, for the most part and for obvious reasons joy does not seem to be a very frequent part of Miss Shepherd's life and she is more often seen sporting a scowl than a smile. Eleanor, Alan and James delivered three brilliant performances that will remain with me. Eleanor, Alan and James were ably supported by Lynne Atkinson as Alan's mother, Beverley McKiernan and Giles Williams as Alan's neighbours Pauline and Rufus, Susan Mullen as the social worker, Kevin Riley as Underwood/ Lout and David Pilkington and Tilly Clapham playing the additional roles. Lynne's facial expressions were particularly hilarious, and I loved the similarities in Lynne's and Eleanor's portrayal of the two main women in Alan's life in terms of their hardness and repeated demands on him. There were also real distinctions, particularly in the level of vulnerability – Miss Shepherd wanting to reject all offers of help and Mrs Bennett repeatedly trying to urge her son to do more for her. This was a fairly small role, but Lynne really made it her own and owned the stage whenever she was on, drawing the audience's focus and making us laugh every time. Beverley and Giles were also lovely additions to the cast as the
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