SHIRLEY VALENTINE. To 25 May.

York

SHIRLEY VALENTINE
by Willy Russell

Theatre Royal Studio To 25 May 2002
7.45 Mat 16 1.30pm, 18 2.45pm No performance 13 May.
Runs 2hr 10min One interval

TICKETS 01904 623568
Review Timothy Ramsden 11 May

Feeling wins out over laughter in Willy Russell's solo self-liberation show.She missed out on the Open University. But, by her mid-twenties, the age Willy Russell's Rita got herself educated, Mrs Jo Bradshaw already felt the best of her life was past. And now, she's 42.

Which is when dramatic coincidences kick in and give her Liverpool life a new direction. A friend comes into money. Being a feminist, she invites Mrs B. on holiday to Greece. The feminist meets a new man and dumps her principles over the Aegean. All this leads Mrs Bradshaw to stay in Greece and discover the old Shirley Valentine in herself.

And as York's studio stages its second Willy Russell chronicle of hope for urban women, his qualities shine through, if slightly muted in this production.

Between early spring's Rita and late spring's Shirley, the space has acquired allocated seating, restricting its informality. What's really needed for summer shows is air-conditioning. By the time Shirley reached Greece the room-temperature itself has shot up to the severely Mediterranean.

Susan Stern's efficient if stolid production is stronger on sympathy than comedy. Having seen Shirley careful cut the crinkly chips and fry a pair of eggs, to be told her husband went ballistic ('mental' is the word Russell used, right in its day) because she hadn't cooked the mince he expected every Thursday, is to feel how constricted her life has become, how dependant upon others.

By the side of this, comic riffs, such as the extended one on Clitoris as a girl's name, are amusing rather than achingly funny. Eliza Hunt brings a helpful resilience and optimism to the role. Nothing fazes this Shirley, and if the prying neighbour calls round with some decent holiday kit rather than her expected tale-tattling to Shirley's husband, at least Shirley hasn't bitten her head off in anticipation. It's not this Shirley's style.

Vocally, Hunt uses a limited tonal palette. It's helpful in drawing us into her world – another side of the sympathy uppermost in the production. But it lacks the variety and resources for comedy and is limiting when this is the only voice we here, and through which all experiences are filtered.

Shirley Valentine: Eliza Hunt

Director: Susan Stern
Designer: Lynette Hartgill
Lighting/Sound: Dominic Bell

2002-05-13 02:04:10