It seems to me surprising that Willy Russel’s iconic play about a mid-life crisis, or empty nesting as we might call it today, has only had one West End revival since it’s first production here in 1988 with Pauline Collins. Thirteen years ago it was the turn of Meera Syal, now it’s a triumphant return to the stage for Sheridan Smith, and it proves to be timeless.
Shirley’s in a loveless marriage with Joe, her two children have left home and we find her talking to the wall and sipping wine whilst cooking Joe’s dinner. She reminisces about the fun she’s had, that she no longer does, and the rut she finds herself in at 42. She’s frustrated and unfulfilled. Her best friend Jane wants her to join her on a holiday in Greece, but she knows she can’t, until she reaches breaking point and decides to go without telling Joe.
Before they’ve even arrived, Jane deserts her; she met a man on the plane. Shirley makes the most of her opportunity, then the tables turn when she meets Costas. She’s not deluded and realises she’s the latest in a line of conquests for Costas, but she doesn’t care as she too just wants some fun. When it’s time to return, though, she just can’t, and ends up in a different relationship with Costas, as an employee in his bar.
The occasional period joke falls flat (the Mersey poet Henry Adrian), but the dialogue still sparkles, funny but also poignant. Shirley sometime talks direct to the audience (as if we’re also the wall) which is just one aspect where Sheridan Smith comes into her own, with unparalleled audience engagement. This role is made for her, and she for the role, and she performs it with a relaxed realism that hits every note, to the point where she herself can’t help laughing. You could feel the identification of the women in the audience with the story, but even men today find it easy to empathise with her.
A 35-year-old play still resonating with a contemporary audience. I call that a classic. Great suff.
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