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American Premiere of British Hit Runs at Mum Puppettheatre

For Immediate Release: December 27, 2005

Philadelphia, PA - When a decrepit van grinds to a halt outside the house of one of England's best-known playwrights, he never suspects that the vehicle's next parking place will be his own driveway - for the next fifteen years. Based on the real-life experiences of Alan Bennett with the genuinely eccentric Miss Shepherd, The Lady in the Van takes a dryly humorous look at the creation of art - and the way artists lie as they create.

Alan Bennett's is a household name in England, where he has been lauded as a national treasure, winning the Olivier Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre, among many other awards. Miss Shepherd, the van's foul-smelling occupant who remains living in his driveway for fifteen years, is formerly a concert pianist and nun-in-training, and currently a would-be Prime Minister of England. Bennett describes her as a "bigoted, blinkered, cantankerous, devious, unforgiving, self-centered, rank, rude, car-mad cow," and his shrewd examination of her daily activities provides moments of truth, humor, insight - and fodder for his writing.

The production is the first collaboration between Mum Puppettheatre and Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA, and the American premiere of Bennett's hilarious play. The production ran at Act II in November and December.

The Lady in the Van will run at Mum Puppettheatre from February 21 through March 18. Preview tickets cost $1 - $6. All tickets after Opening Night cost $25. Performances take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, and Saturdays and 2pm and 8pm.

Directed by Mum Artistic Director Robert Smythe, the show features a cast of four accomplished actors. Gregg Almquist portrays Alan Bennett 1 and Alan Bennett 2 (the latter with a puppet). Maureen Torsney-Weir, a Barrymore Award-winning actress, plays the unforgettable Miss Shepard. Actors Jered McLenigan and Genevieve Perrier round out the cast, performing the other 11 roles. The intriguing combination of a live actor interacting with puppets is a trademark of Mum's aesthetic, and provides a unique presentation of the ideas in the play, such as how we take care of others and how artists incorporate their lives into their art - and at what cost.

During the run at Act II, the Philadelphia Weekly proclaimed "…with no distracting special effects, Smythe's quietly human production begins to pull us into Bennett's odd little world of by-the-book social workers and pretentious but well-meaning neighbors…[and] makes us glad for the opportunity to visit with them." During the play's successful run in England, The Daily Telegraph raved, "This is, without doubt, the best new play of the year," while The Village Voice called it "one of the finest bursts of comic writing the twentieth century has produced."

The Lady in the Van is the second show in Mum's 2005-2006 Evening Series of theatre for adults. As part of the Evening Series, Mum presents Coffee & Conversation on Wednesday nights. These moderated post-show discussions, generously sponsored by Whole Foods Market, include complementary coffee and refreshments and feature guest speakers, cast members and Mum artists, allowing audience members to delve deep into the world of each production.

Two-show subscriptions are still available to Mum's Evening Series for just $40, and are available Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm, by calling 215-925-7MUM or by logging on to www.mumpuppet.org. Two-show preview subscriptions are also available for just $15, as well as gift certificates, which make a unique, sophisticated gift for any occasion.

Mum Puppettheatre makes art that moves, creating theatre beyond the scope of human actors, often without words. We integrate the plastic, visual and performing arts by creating stunning, emotionally compelling and breathtakingly beautiful theatre, using puppets, masks and the human body. Our mission is to collaborate with artists of all disciplines and backgrounds to explore the interdisciplinary nature of puppetry, and share the results with people of all ages, independent of language or culture, on stage, on tour and in the classroom.

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