Walking into Shirley Valentine on opening night at the Twelfth Night Theatre, I honestly had no idea what I was in for! I knew it was an older play, I knew it was awarded, and I knew it was (loosely) about a woman talking to a wall. But that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge! Until I did my pre-show research.
Written in 1986 by Willy Russell, Shirley Valentine was first performed in Liverpool to great acclaim. A few years later, Pauline Collins won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress, roughly around the same time the movie adaptation was released, where she also starred in the titular role.
If I’m being completely honest, this was my first-ever one-person show, and possibly my last. Not because it wasn’t good. Just because it’s not for me. One actress. Two hours. One set change, no chorus line. I was curious, but nervous.
My forte is the big stuff. Broadway musicals, lavishly unnecessary dance numbers, casts of dozens. This was the complete opposite. A slow burn. Storytelling in one of its purest forms, surrounded by simplicity, to hone in on the power of the spoken word.
In essence, I don’t think my issue was with the performance, but with the script. It lingered. And there were a few occasions where I saw the back of my eyelids. In saying that, I never wanted to leave or even let that thought cross my mind.
That’s down to Natalie Bassingthwaighte. She’s the whole reason this thing works. I’ve seen her do pop, drama, TV – she can do anything. This was something else entirely. There’s no safety net here, no one to hand her a line if it slips. It’s just her, a kitchen, and us. And she nails it.
Her ability to control emotion and seamlessly shift between comedy queen and turmoiled, isolated housewife is unparalleled. She is funny when she needs to be, and deeply honest and heartbreaking. Every element of her portrayal feels real. As though she were someone that you could easily have overheard gossiping about her life at the nail salon.
Lee Lewis directed it, and you can tell. She’s not a director who over-decorates. She knows when to step back. Everything about this show feels unforced. No overthinking, no drama for the sake of it. Just the truth. The whole thing breathes because she lets it. You can see the trust between her and Bassingthwaighte from the first line.
The production itself is bare, just enough to feel like a real home. Brady Watkins’ music slides in quietly, never stealing focus. Marcello Lo Ricco’s sound design wraps the theatre in this soft warmth that makes you forget you’re sitting in a room full of strangers.
I’ve sat through shows at Twelfth Night Theatre where you could barely hear the dialogue, where the microphones crackle incessantly and pull you out of the show, so this was a massive relief.
While I may have my critiques, the audience went wild for it. A standing ovation, wolf-whistles, ample cheering. It did kind of leave me sitting there thinking that maybe I just don’t get this kind of theatre.
While my car sat idle in the parking lot after the show for over an hour, doing an update, I had plenty of time to think about the show and what it was really trying to say. About getting stuck in your own life. About how easy it is to stop chasing things that make you happy. About how brave it is to start again.
I guess that’s when it truly started to dawn on me that the power of one-performer shows lies in the words. And I wasn’t ready for that. So no, it’s not my kind of show. But it stayed with me all the same.
If you want spectacle, this isn’t it. But if you want honesty – real, messy, human honesty, Shirley Valentine is worth your night.
Shirley Valentine runs in Brisbane until 9 November at Twelfth Night Theatre. 4 Cintra Rd, Bowen Hills QLD 4006.
Tickets: https://shirleyvalentine.com.au/#tickets
Website: https://shirleyvalentine.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/shirleyvalentineau/
Photo credits: Brett Boardman
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One response to “Review: Shirley Valentine Charms Brisbane With A Toast To Second Chances”
I didn’t like the Shirley Valentine play I saw in Brisbane today. After living similar traumatic experiences, I found it triggering and dragged me down into a terrible depression. It needs a few better Aussie jokes to lighten up the subject. Funnier one liners suited to Aussie audience. It needs a few adaptions all round for Aussie audience. It’s been set for UK audience. Really didn’t like the ghastly smell of the eggs frying as it wofted throughout the theatre. But the actor did a great job remembering all the lines of a one woman show.