The Catskill Chronicle

Review by Barry Plaxen

The promotional material states: “’Shirley Valentine’ is a one-character play.”

Even though the work fills the bill as a monologue, which is when a character speaks her thoughts aloud, the above is a truer statement. “Shirley Valentine” is more than a monologue. Playwright Willy Russell has his character speak directly to the audience, so it really is a play with a conversation  between the character and the audience, with 99.9% of the words coming from the character. And last night at the Forestburgh Arts Center that is what is was: a dialogue, as twice someone in the audience said something to “Shirley” and she reacted to it.

The play is about a middle class Liverpool housewife who dreams of taking a respite from her boring, mundane, unfulfilling life, and traveling to exotic Greece where she can eat olives by the seashore.

But it is really more than a play about getting out of one’s ruts. It is about how we lose our true selves when we take on the “shoulds” that society dictates we must do even if it means loss of self.

And this play is not about Shirley finding that former self. It is about Shirley wanting to follow her instincts instead of being unhappy. It is about our pursuing our hopes and dreams by living life instead of setting them aside to serve others while stifling our passions.

Loretta Swit first toured in “Shirley Valentine” in 1995. And her previous experience playing the part showed in Forestburgh last night. She is magnificent. She knows what wonders lie in the script, how to get laughs and entertain whether her lines are fun or profound. She knows what physical mannerisms to use and they all seem so intrinsic and “right” to the character. Her vocal rhythms are musical and multi-varied. Her subtle expression of the play’s inherent depths stirred my emotions. She and director Ron Nash have the production perfectly paced, with never an empty moment, never a jarring effect as she prepares dinner for her husband, relates her meetings with her daughter or a neighbor, or talks to the wall.

The emotional depths depicted in the first act are not there in the second act which seems more like a coda to the first act than a resolution as Swit beautifully relates her revelations and understanding of what life is all about for her. And though it may be “just a coda,” it is uplifting, and you walk out of the theatre feeling joyful and optimistic.

The play runs through Sunday, June 19. Call 845-794-1194 for your tickets to this one-woman tour-de-force.