Review: Shirley Valentine Brings Laughter & Life Lessons To Sydney

Before last night, I didn’t know Shirley Valentine. It has a legacy and a reputation that it made a whole generation of middle-aged women (and men) feel seen. It validated their experiences and frustrations with their lives and made them want to change.

Now I understand. About halfway through the show, Natalie Bassingthwaighte turns to the audience and asks, “Why do we get all this life if we never get to live it?” In that moment, I realised this was not just a story about one woman. It was a reminder of how easily we stop living for ourselves. 

Written by Willy Russell, Shirley Valentine premiered in Liverpool in 1986 before transferring to London’s West End and Broadway, where Pauline Collins won two Tony Awards, including Best Actress.

The 1989 film adaptation, also starring Collins, made Shirley a household name. Since then, this solo play has become one of modern theatre’s most loved works, known for its honesty as well as its hilarity.

The story follows Shirley Bradshaw, a middle-aged housewife from Liverpool who spends her days talking to the kitchen wall while her husband complains about dinner. As Shirley Valentine, she now feels invisible.

When a friend offers her a ticket to Greece, she hesitates. But the trip becomes a turning point. What starts as a holiday becomes a brave step toward rediscovering herself.

National treasure Natalie Bassingthwaighte holds the audience with her natural presence and timing. Her Shirley is lively, frustrated, kind, and deeply human. She treats the audience like old friends, sharing her thoughts with warmth and sincerity.

Beneath the laughter lies real sadness, and Bassingthwaighte captures both sides with great care. By the end, her transformation feels believable and deeply satisfying.

Lee Lewis’ direction brings freshness to this well-known play. Her interpretation of the expectations, ageing, and self-worth that Shirley deals with is sharp and truthful.

In her director’s note, Lewis writes that Shirley “has to make us laugh if she’s going to survive,” and this balance between humour and pain shapes the whole production. The result is a thoughtful, grounded staging that invites both laughter and reflection.

Simone Romaniuk’s set and costume design highlight Shirley’s emotional journey. The first act’s beige, compact kitchen mirrors how she feels she has no life outside these walls. In the second act, the stage opens up with glorious colour, tall white pylons and a blue reflective panel sea.

Paul Jackson’s lighting design deepens this shift, surrounding Shirley in a brilliant golden glow that makes her shine. Marcello Lo Ricco’s sound design swings between gentle melodic softness during the more emotional moments and a faster rhythmic beating that crescendos as Shirley gets closer to becoming herself again.

Even after almost forty years, the play feels current. As Lewis reminds us, anyone who has been silenced or underestimated can see themselves in Shirley. The opening night crowd laughed and loved enough for an extended standing ovation.

Bassingthwaighte’s performance is outstanding, particularly how she handles the conversational writing with clarity and control. Her timing is spot on, and her emotional vulnerability draws the audience in closer. 

In the end, Shirley Valentine is about courage. It celebrates the moment a person decides not to live a “little life” anymore. It sends a message to young people like me to see the warning signs and prevent the lull in living that Shirley and people like her experience. But it is also an invitation and reminder that there is still so much more life to live! 

Shirley Valentine runs in Sydney until 26 October at Theatre Royal Sydney. It runs in Brisbane from 29 October – 9 November at Twelfth Night Theatre.

Tickets: https://shirleyvalentine.com.au/#tickets

Website: https://shirleyvalentine.com.au/

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/shirleyvalentineau/

Photo credits: Brett Boardman