Sunday, August 5, 2012

A HEARTWARMING "SHIRLEY VALENTINE"


A HEARTWARMING "SHIRLEY VALENTINE" 
“Shirley Valentine” is aging gracefully. The English playwright Willy Russell wrote this one-woman piece in 1986, finding immediate success on the London stage. His play subsequently became a hit on Broadway and was released as an equally appreciated film in 1989.

Now we can see Shirley truly has become a charmer for all decades. Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd., has successfully remounted its own 2009 production, with Carlisle Ellis returning as Shirley Valentine once again, that will run through March 18.
Twice on opening weekend Ellis made the transformation from a somewhat depressed 52-year-old wife and mother to a cheerfully enthusiastic independent woman. Both performances received standing ovations.
Because the strident feminism of the 1980s has softened a bit in pop culture today,  Shirley’s other more heartwarming qualities can to come to the fore. The play even some insightful comments about politics in the Middle East which are as true today as they were 25 years ago.
Ellis seems to have been born to play this role. In the first act we meet her as a seemingly ordinary person dutifully performing all her housewifely requirements. She has an unseen husband, Joe, who takes her for granted. She has two almost-grown children who insult her at every opportunity.
Shirley’s life, as she stands in her little Liverpool kitchen in early evening fixing her husband some chips-and-egg, keeps getting smaller and smaller. It feels like she’s on a slippery slope without a rope.
Her one friend, Jane (also unseen), is one of those defiant activists who bought Shirley a round-trip ticket to the Greek islands so the two of them could run off for a fortnight together being free souls at large in the world.
Shirley’s not sure she wants to go. Her husband will be angry. Her children will hate her. Insisting on having her own life, even for a couple of weeks, could break up her family.
Ultimately she does go, of course. Otherwise it would be a very short play.
The trick in the performance is to show a flash of Shirley’s rebellious spirit from her teen years so we can believe she may be down, but she’s not out. There needs to be a touch of mischievousness in there, as well.
Ellis brings all that and more to her performance, successfully taking on the voices of all those unseen characters and making each of the additional personalities as distinctive as her own.
By intermission people are shouting out to Shirley, "Bon voyage!" The audience has been so completely won over by her born-again spunk they are talking back to Shirley from their seats.
In the program notes, director Sabian Trout says “I believe there’s a little bit of Shirley Valentine in all of us – male or female, regardless of age.”
I believe she is absolutely correct.
For one night only: Live Theatre Workshop has added a Pay-What-You-Can Industry Night performance to the run of SHIRLEY VALENTINE by Willy Russell on Thursday, March 15 at 7:30 PM. ($10 suggested donation.) Don't miss your chance to catch the glorious revival of Carlisle Ellis' MAC Award-Winning Performance as Shirley Valentine!
Performances of “Shirley Valentine” continue at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, through March 18, at Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. Tickets are $18 general admission with discounts. For details and reservations, 520-327-4242, or visit www.livetheatreworkshop.org
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