Duke of York’s theatre, London
Willy Russell’s 1986 monologue about a neglected woman’s midlife liberation is given new life in this perceptive production
Willy Russell’s 1986 monologue was a forerunner to the Thelma and Louise era of women who find a second lease of life in middle age. Almost four decades on, its portrait of a Liverpudlian housewife’s transformational trip to the Greek island of her dreams could so easily feel dated.
What is striking about Matthew Dunster’s production is that it leans into the sense of a bygone time and is deceptively passé at the start. There are references to the Milk Tray Man, the drachma and the EEC. Jane, who invites Shirley (Sheridan Smith) on a holiday to Crete, is branded a feminist because she has divorced her husband. Paul Wills’s 80s kitchen set mirrors the pastel colour scheme of Shirley’s mint trousers and pink bat-winged top.
At the Duke of York’s theatre, London, until 3 June
