Shirley Valentine

Thirty years on Willy Russell’s one woman play is as moving and as poignant as ever. Hard as it may be to believe, and in a world that has seen so much emancipation for women, the core of the story, the role of so many married women, is as relevant as ever. Russell’s ability to write for a female voice is, and I say this as a man, quite extraordinary. His language spans the vernacular and deals with the commonplace but at the same time it is filled with poetry, the rhythms of the Liverpool twang and of course the humour, the play is, as well as being sad, also hilarious.

Who better then to play the eponymous Shirley than Jodie Prenger. Better known perhaps until now as a talented star of musical theatre and popular musical entertainer, here, brilliantly directed by the original director of the play Glen Walford, she proves that there is a deep well of dramatic talent. Prenger is with every breath the oppressed housewife, mother and school girl. She commands the stage with a confidence that few could pull off, she delivers those lines with naturalistic conviction coupled with natural comic timing. Each sentiment is believable, moving too and then she raises the mood with the skill of an actor playing at the peak of their game.

One has to ask what Prenger will do next and what more she is capable of, because on this reckoning there is much much more to be seen from this talented young professional. This is unmissable theatre and an unmissable performance.
17 July
Theatre Royal Brighton
Andrew Kay
Rating: