Shirley Valentine @ Pitlochry Festival Theatre

By Willy Russell

Sally Reid reprises her award-winning ‘outstanding’ performance as Shirley Valentine in Willy Russell’s iconic play.   

Shirley Valentine is a celebration of women, freedom and what it means to find yourself again. We meet Shirley, a bored, middle-aged wife and mother as she contemplates what has happened to her youth. She feels lonely, disenchanted and in a rut. Her children are all grown up and she’s stuck at home with only the kitchen wall to talk to. Shirley dreams of a better life, free from the chains of her domestic boredom and an unappreciative husband.  

When her best friend suggests a trip to Greece, Shirley packs her bags, leaves a note on the cupboard door and heads off for a fortnight of rest and relaxation.  

In Greece, she meets Costas, rediscovers herself, finds happiness and everything she has been missing. She realises that there is more to life than the dull, mundane existence she leads back home. Now, Shirley has a big decision to make. 

Sally Reid received an Outstanding Performance award for her role in Shirley Valentine from the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.