It’s not an April Fool to say that Tuesday’s temperatures meant Blackpool could have passed for the Greek Islands, as the Octagon Theatre’s Shirley Valentine premiered at The Grand Theatre. Stephen Dunstan headed for the shade but found plenty of moments of light too.
Willy Russell’s famous play is a monologue by the eponymous Shirley, a middle-aged woman who feels trapped in the monotony of her domestic life. Her conversations with her kitchen wall reflect her growing dissatisfaction with existing rather than living. She gets an unexpected opportunity to go on a holiday to Corfu with a friend who has a financial windfall, and is able to reappraise her life and take action to be her best self.
The Octagon first took this version of the original Shirley Valentine on the road in 2020 just before the pandemic. Mina Anwar, perhaps best known to most as WPC Habib in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line, was approached to take the leading (and indeed only) role. She wanted the setting changed from Russell’s Liverpool birthplace to her own birthplace of the Accrington area and the playwright agreed.
The variation in the setting of the action in the first act probably doesn’t make a lot of difference to the average Blackpool attendee. Clearly from comments after the curtain, however, there was clearly an East Lancs contingent in the building who would have been appreciative of the references to local places.
In any case a one woman show is only going to be as good as the actress. Mina Anwar is easily relateable but also gives a powerful and memorable performance.
The setting for both Lancashire and Corfu was a simple backdrop rather than a changing stage arrangement. In any case a one woman show is only going to be as good as the actress. In that regard it soon becomes clear why Mina Anwar was approached for the role, and continues to excel in it several years on. She is easily relateable but also gives a powerful and memorable performance.
If your only previous experience of Shirley Valentine is the 1979 romcom starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti you may find the play more demanding with the lack of character interaction and a one-sided account of events. It’s a more intense but arguably more rewarding experience and Anwar received a long standing ovation from the audience.
Mina stayed on stage to thank the audience. She took the time to explain her love for the Grand Theatre and to celebrate the local theatre going community. This kind of commitment to the craft and the audience is at the heart of what makes this a great production.
Shirley Valentine runs until Saturday, for ticket bookings go to www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
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