Review: SHIRLEY VALENTINE, Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Shirley Valentine is a play by Willy Russell that was first staged in 1986. It's a one-woman performance about a 42-year-old housewife who is wondering what is next for her in life. Shirley married young and had two children and now that they're grown up, she isn't quite sure what that means for her. She spends her days serving up eggs and chips for a husband with who she seems to have little in common with anymore.

Sally Reid is a marvel as Shirley. Not dropping pace for a second, Reid commands the stage throughout and has the audience in the palm of her hand. Bored and lonely, she talks to the wall in her kitchen as she debates whether to accept her friend's invitation of a trip to Greece. Initially, it seems like an impossible dream for someone who has never really been anywhere.

While I don't know the text well enough to know if the script has been modernised for this production, it felt very current. It's impossible not to adore this funny, warm woman and Reid has the audience onside from the minute she steps onstage.

Emily James' set and costume design complement Reid's performance perfectly. Act Two sees a move from Shirley's kitchen to a Greek island and the staging is just such a treat.

It's not an easy feat to deliver such a lengthy monologue but Sally Reid appears to take it in her stride. This production of Shirley Valentine is a much-needed dose of hope and joy that still feels relevant decades on.

Photo credit: Fraser Band

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