The play and the film

Shirley Valentine, written by Willy Russell, opened in the West End in 1988 directed by Simon Callow and produced by Bob Swash. It went onto Broadway during 1990, marking Russell’s Broadway debut. With Shirley Valentine, Willy developed a new style of writing – the one-woman show. When first created, Shirley Valentine was a two-act play created for one voice. In the first act Shirley is at home, in her kitchen and talking to her wall. In the second act she is in Greece on holiday and talks instead to a rock on the beach she visits each day. This production starred Pauline Collins, who, like Julie Walters in Educating Rita, went on to play Shirley in the film

version.

Ms Collins won numerous best actress awards for her performance while the play won an Olivier for best comedy. The film, when released in 1989, held the number one slot in the UK for five weeks and Pauline Collins was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The film received two BAFTAs for best actress and best screenplay.

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In this ActReact production, Donna Combe successfully takes on the daunting one-woman show, playing not only the lead, but bringing to life all the other characters as she slips easily into a myriad of accents and mannerisms to describe the episodes and anecdotes which have led her to where she is now.

It is the story of a 42-year-old woman who has become Mrs Joe Bradshaw, having somehow along the years lost the identity of the fun-loving rebellious girl who used to be Shirley Valentine. It is the journey of how one woman leaves behind a dreary, mundane life that has reduced her to talking to the wall, to discover that life is to be lived, if only we are not too afraid to jump with both feet into the unknown.

It is a brilliant performance, and Ms Combe does justice to a role which is familiar to all those who saw the film. She manages to capture the wry, self-deprecating Liverpudlian humour that endears us so immediately to this character. Not to mention the logistical feat of frying eggs and chips live on stage while doing her monologue!

It is a witty, funny and yet poignant play, with observations about life that continue to ring as true today as they did when the lines were first written.

Who is Shirley Valentine? I guess you could say she is there, hidden, in each one of us.

Shirley Valentine continues today and tomorrow at 8pm at St James Cavalier. Tickets are Lm7.50 and Lm5.50