Shirley Valentine

The play "Shirley Valentine" written by Willy Russell is a comedy drama with a little romance as well; it has themes which talk about female identity and lots of humour, heart and poignancy. The play was first performed at the Everyman Theatre Liverpool in 1986 with Noreen Kershaw as Shirley, then in 1988 it was produced in London with Pauline Collins in the lead role, winning an Olivier Award for Actress of the year in a New Play, followed by a Tony Award for Best Actress after it transferred to Broadway, and the play itself won the Olivier Award for Best New Play and a Tony Award for Best Play. Pauline then reprised the role of Shirley in the popular critically acclaimed 1989 film version winning a BAFTA for Leading Actress and she was also nominated for a Golden Globe, and an Oscar.

The play differs from the film as it is a monologue where the actor talks directly to the audience. The narrative is from the perspective of a working class Liverpudlian housewife in her forties, her two children have left home, and her marriage to Joe is abusive and dysfunctional. She feels taken for granted, treated like a servant by the family, and not seen, as Joe only notices her when she deviates from their normal routine. Shirley’s, life has become predictable and unfulfilling, she is lonely, so has conversations with the wall in her kitchen just to have someone to talk to. She focuses on her grief for the loss of the girl she remembers from her youth, and the intimacy she had with Joe at the beginning of their relationship, she wonders what happened to her life, could she ever rekindle the spirit of that girl from long ago and satisfy her desire for personal fulfilment.

She works in her kitchen, peeling potatoes, preparing chips and egg but worries about Joe’s reaction as it is the day they usually have mince for tea, but she has given the meat away. Shirley tells us that her friend Jane has offered to pay for them both to go on holiday to Greece, she would like to go but she feels it’s not possible, she cannot just leave the family, however, she changes her mind after Joe loses his temper because he is given chips and egg for tea instead of his usual meal. So, Shirley packs her bags, leaves a note for Joe and sets off in a Taxi to catch a flight to Greece. However, her friend Jane meets a man on the plane who invites her to his villa on the other side of the island, so Shirley is left alone for the first few days, consequently circumstances and a chance meeting results in her embarking on a transformative journey of self-discovery, where she finds happiness, and freedom, recapturing some of the spirit of the girl she used to be, she also meets a local fisherman named Costas at his bar and they have a romance, happily Shirley is aware that this is just a holiday romance and she makes the most of the relationship and enjoys the moment. At the end of her holiday, she has felt freedom to be herself, so she reevaluates her life and faces a choice between going home to her, boring abusive life or staying in Greece and embrace a life of fulfilment and happiness.

First time Director Kath Townsend did a wonderful job and was able to draw on the breadth of knowledge gained from her years of involvement in different spheres of the theatre, and along with the support and mentoring from Assistant Directors Sue Hilton and David Walker she was able to bring to the stage a brilliant production, in no doubt helped by the outstanding acting and performance of Leanne Bache as Shirley Valentine who had the audience in the palm of her hand from the word go, she was mesmerising, you could swear she was talking to you personally as her rapport with the audience was excellent, her Liverpudlian accent was spot on and her comic timing was exceptional, which resulted in lots of wonderfully funny  laugh out loud moments. Shirley is a delightful character, and a wonderful colourful detailed storyteller and Leanne lived and told these stories in a very entertaining manor as she got right to the heart of the character she was portraying, skilfully keeping the audience’s attention for approximately 2 hours which appeared to go very quickly, the audience appeared to be hanging on every word. As well as some very entertaining comedy, there was also some very poignant and heartbreaking themes which Leanne handled brilliantly

The play was performed in the intimate venue of the studio at Chorley Theatre, which personally I think was exactly right for this brilliant production. This was a two act play and there were two very well-designed and thought-out sets, both made excellent use of the stage area, they were Shirleys Kitchen and a Greek Island, and both enhanced the action of the play. Leanne had to cook a meal on the kitchen set, she produced chips and egg, which several of the audience told me made them hungry. Then for the second act there was a picture of the Aegean Sea and the coastline of an island projected on a back screen, there was also a medium size bolder on the stage that had replaced the kitchen wall for Shirley to talk to, you really felt like you were on the Greek island with Shirley.Well done all the set builders and props, Stephen Clipston, Shaun McManus, Owen Hall, Maureen Strand and Gill Brotherton. Shirley’s costumes which were provided by Kath Townsend, Leanne Bache, Lynne Westhead, and Karen Thompson Butler were also spot on for her character. Stage manager was Ella Green, crew Jean Wild. The usual excellent tech design was by Paul Carr, and the technical operators were Katie Potter and Ian Robinson. As usual all the backstage crew worked efficiently and were supportive of the actor on stage.

Shirley Valentine is unconventional, funny and thought-provoking with lots of clever comedy and witty thoughtful writing, and there is a powerful understanding and awareness of the themes, feelings and situations highlighted in the narrative of the play, resulting in a very entertaining piece of theatre, which in this case was made even more enjoyable because of a remarkable performance at its centre. Although the play was written some forty years ago and does have a few dated themes, I feel the play is basically as relevant today as when it was first written in 1986 and its topics and arguments continue to resonate with audiences.Kath states in her directors notes for the programme, “we all have so many Shirley Valentine moments throughout our lives where we lose our sense of identity and anxiety depression and grief can take over our lives, this play may have been written 40 years ago but the themes are just as relevant today.” This play is a celebration of female empowerment, making sure that you are seen and respected by those you love and of freedom to make our own choices.The message I received was that we should live our life to the full, taking our own path and enjoy the advantages we are offered, and that we must also learn to love ourselves and not be defined by others and have the courage to pursue personal happiness.

Thank you very much for a wonderful enjoyable evening, this was an exceptional production worthy of all the praise it receives.

 

 

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