Can it really be 30-plus years since 'women of a certain age' became hooked on the Shirley Valentine syndrome, following her dream of self reinvention?
Isn't, they asked then, a Shirley inside us all? Someone who talked to her kitchen wall for lack of more stimulating conversation, opining and reminiscing on years which, to borrow from the script, reflect on a life unused?
They yearned to be Shirley, she did something about it - she went to Greece and stayed.
Dated thoughts? Maybe, but Shirley Valentine remains an 80s classic and the Shambles crew's stayed true to that.
For a work created by a man (Willy Russell), Shirley Valentine's outpourings are a perceptive insight into the angst of middle aged womanhood.
Unseen characters flitting in and out of Shirley's discourse become living, breathing people and, when once in Greece and alone again (but satisfied), she talks to a rock, who can't become a believer that life is what you make it.
With the stage-savvy Richard Rugg directing, this was always set to be a top class production.
It is - and definitely a must see, however foul the weather.
■ For tickets call (07) 348 8614 Monday to Saturday, 11.30am-1.30pm.
Review
What: Shirley Valentine
Where: Shambles Theatre:
When: July 15-23
