Shirley Valentine

Shirley Valentine
Written by	Willy Russell
Date premiered	1986
Place premiered	Everyman Theatre Liverpool
Original language	English
Subject	A holiday in Greece refreshes an unhappy middle aged Liverpool housewife in more ways than one
Genre	ComedyMonodrama
IBDB profile

Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.

Plot

Wondering what has happened to herself, now feeling stagnant and in a rut, Shirley Valentine finds herself regularly talking to the wall while preparing her husband's chips and egg. When her best friend wins a trip-for-two to Greece, she packs her bags without a second thought, leaves a note on the kitchen table, and heads for a fortnight of rest and relaxation. What she finds is romance and a new awareness of who she is and what her existence can be with just a little effort on her part.

Productions

Commissioned by the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, the play premiered in 1986, with Noreen Kershaw directed by Glen Walford. Two years later it opened in London's West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, with Pauline Collins directed by Simon Callow.

After eight previews, the Broadway production, with Collins again directed by Callow, opened on 16 February 1989 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for 324 performances. Ellen Burstyn replaced Collins later in the run.

Loretta Swit starred in a US national tour in 1995.

Awards and nominations

Pauline Collins as Shirley Valentine addresses the kitchen wall in the Broadway production

Awards

• 1988 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy
• 1988 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
• 1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play
• 1989 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
• 1989 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
• 1989 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut

Nominations

• 1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play
• 1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play
• 1989 Tony Award for Best Play

Film adaptation

Russell adapted his play for a 1989 film version directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Further reading

• Russell, Willy, Shirley Valentine and One for the Road. Portsmouth, NH: Methuen 1988. ISBN 0413189503

External links

• Shirley Valentine at the Internet Broadway Database