Shirley Valentine

Now's your time to dream big with Shirley Valentine. Book Shirley Valentine tickets in London on TodayTix.

The two-time Olivier Award-winning actress Sheridan Smith plays the central role. The Funny Girl and Hedda Gabler star is no stranger to playing a Liverpudlian — she portrayed singer and television host Cilla Black in Cilla. Smith will now return to the stage as a Scouse woman, playing ambitious housewife Shirley in Willy Russell’s life-affirming story. Matthew Dunster directs the BAFTA-winning actress.

While Shirley spends her days cooking and cleaning for the family, she yearns for something more. So when her friend invites her on a trip to Greece, she immediately pack her bags for the adventure of a lifetime. Quickly, Shirley discovers there's more to life than motherhood. Discover how a unsuspecting holiday results in Shirley changing her life foreverore.

Leave a note saying 'Gone! Gone to Greece.' Book Shirley Valentine tickets on TodayTix.

There's more to Shirley than cooking chips and eggs. Her time away is transformative: she realises what makes her happy, she begins to enjoy herself, and she has fun. Shirley Valentine explores the importance of finding your voice and purpose in a complicated world.

After a Liverpool premiere, Russell’s Shirley Valentine premiered at the Vaudeville Theatre in 1988. The show won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and Best Actress for Pauline Collins. Meera Syal and Jodie Prenger have since played the eponymous character in West End and touring productions. Now Shirley Valentine London comes to the Duke of York's Theatre in spring 2023.

What to Watch For:

• When Shirley Valentine premiered in Liverpool, the actress was struck down with appendicitis. As a result, Russell starred in early performances.
• Shirley Valentine is a semi-autobiographical play, as it’s based on a real person that Russell knew.
• Pauline Collins played the Liverpudlian housewife in the Shirley Valentine film. Collins won a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role and also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
• Willy Russell’s stories often focus on a character from Liverpool. His other shows include Educating Rita, Our Day Out, and Blood Brothers.