Shirley Valentine

Last night, the lovely Dr M and I attended "Shirley Valentine" at the Old Mill Theatre. Mild apprehension regarding a dreaded "chick flick" on stage was soon dispelled as Shirley drew the audience into her sadly shrunken and static little universe with warmth and humour.

It was interesting to see a photograph of Beverley Lawrence (Shirley) in the programme as an actress with short-cropped blonde hair. Surprising then for an actress with flowing auburn tresses to walk on stage as the curtains opened. For an instant, remembrance of the viciously scathing curse of Niles Crane: "May your Box be filled with cellophane wrappers and your stage swarming with standbys," echoed through what I laughingly refer to as my mind. Until I realised of course that we had the right actress and an old photograph.

IÂ’m no expert, but I can imagine how incredibly difficult it would be to single-handedly capture an audienceÂ’s undivided attention for over an hour at a time. Beverley LawrenceÂ’s projection and characterisation was strong and consistent, and if the accent slipped once or twice, I certainly didnÂ’t worry about it.

I loved that kitchen! While we watched, Shirley cleaned a couple of potatoes in her fully functional sink, sliced them up, turned on her fully functional gas cooktop and fried up a portion of chips and a couple of fried eggs.

Act 2, set on a beach in the Aegean, was just as impressive. I sympathised with the Stage Manager who, every night, would have had the difficult job of supervising while other people laid down several barrows-full of beach sand and then swept it all up again at the end of the evening. Top marks to all concerned for set authenticity.

Try as I might, I could detect no sign of a dreaded VPL beneath that towel, and thus top marks must also be awarded for costuming authenticity.

A few minor points: During Act 2, there was a marvellous interlude where Shirley fell silent to the accompaniment of Greek music, allowing us to soak up the atmosphere for 20-30 seconds. This also happened on two prior occasions in the Act, but for only a few seconds at a time. Unfortunately, this didnÂ’t work as well, and the musical bursts seemed too short and out of place. The script probably says, "insert music here," and I donÂ’t disagree, but I thought it was a little rushed and that more could have been done with it. Just my opinion.

I mentioned earlier how strong BeverleyÂ’s delivery was. The only time it faltered was in Act 1. During her little rant about orgasms, Shirley stepped into the wings, continued her dialogue and we missed half the delivery. The audience, en masse, leaned forward to catch the lines. For the sake of naturality, I believe that a character shouldnÂ’t have to stop talking if they step offstage. However, on several other occasions, when Shirley stepped offstage she paused her dialogue (all perfectly naturally). The one time she continued to talk - it seemed unusual and it didnÂ’t really work. (WeÂ’ll blame the director for that one.)

Otherwise, a most enjoyable production of a very popular play, with many lines that are so damn funny theyÂ’ve practically entered the public consciousness and everyday speech. I enjoyed it, but then, thatÂ’s just me.

Jarrod Buttery