Shirley Valentine

by Willy Russell

Cast: Rebecca Koon
Scenic Design: Anna Sartin
Lighting Design: Eric Winkenwerder
Sound Design: Fred Story
Director: Steve Umberger
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She's been around, but Shirley Valentine is new again, in more ways than one. Shirley is an ordinary middle class housewife who gets a chance to take a trip and ends up taking a second chance at life. The popular play, first seen in London and on Broadway and then in the Oscar-nominated film, is finding a new generation that loves the warmth and humor of this woman who shows that a "change of life" might be the best thing that ever happened. This touring Playworks production has appeared at Diana Wortham Theatre, Florida's Riverside Theatre, Spirit Square Arts Center, An Appalachian Summer Festival, and Blowing Rock Stage Company.

Synopsis

Shirley's kids are grown, and her marriage has settled in.  

Suddenly a friend offers her a ticket to Greece for a two week holiday.  The first act finds Shirley in her kitchen, cooking the evening meal, sipping wine, and daring herself to go.  In the second act we find her sunning herself on the sublime Greek seashore as the tells about her adventures, and how she's fallen in love with life again.  

When her husband orders her to come home, telling her she can't run away from life, she replies saying, "I agree, and now that I've found some life I have no intention of running away from it!"  Shirley jokes about everything from kids and friends to sex and marriage.  

There's something for everyone, male and female in this sparkling comedy bye the author of "Educating Rita" and "Blood Brothers."  SHIRLEY VALENTINE is one of those rare treats with plenty of laughs in a story filled with humanity.

“A sparkling jewel…’Shirley’ is dramatic lapidary of the first order.  We don’t need the other characters when Rebecca Koon can enact them all so splendidly.  Her Shirley is in every sense a brave and living woman.”
- Charlotte Observer

“Koon is ‘mega brilliant’ and ‘double-fab.’…She gives a performance that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theatre…Koon inhabits the character like a second skin and never wavers during the two hours…Although the women in the audience might laugh a little more knowingly, the themes of self-respect, inner freedom, and fulfilling your heart’s desire have universal appeal.”
- Vero Beach Press Journal

“It is theatre magic that will make you laugh and cry…Her British accent is flawless and her delivery impeccable…She moves the audience to embrace Shirley as a friend they would like to have next door…That Koon is able to keep us entranced for two full hours is a testament to her acting ability, and to the power of the script…When the final curtain falls, the audience stands and cheers an enormously compelling performance.”
- Blowing Rock Press

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