Shirley Valentine - Duke of York's

That's a different play. This was called "The Kitchen" and was at the NT in 2011.

No one on here seen this yet?
I’m going on Thursday so will report back!

I've seen some reports on a FB fan page and people who have seen it loved it. But, of course, these are fans so probably a bit of a biased view.
I'm sure she is excellent I it, the play seems right up her street and can't wait to hear what board members think. I'm not going until towards the end of the run.

First look:

The costuming looks a bit modern to be, 1980's, no?

britishtheatre.com/shirley-valentine-starring-sheridan-smith-first-look/

That's not great, there must be a better option

She worse a flesh coloured sheer bodystocking when she was in a funny Girl which worked up to a point. The seams were visible from the front stalls though. 

I saw something on social media last night that said "many performances already sold out" so thought I'd put it to the test. Checked quite a few random dates and looks like the claim is true. Most of the dates I checked had very limited availability. So whatever people's views are about Sheridan you can't deny that she sells seats.

Saw this last night and absolutely LOVED it! Sheridan Smith is so funny, so relatable and so moving, it's an event! One of the best one person shows I've seen, doing for comedy what Jodie Comer did for drama.

Some spoilers follow. . .

This works as drama too, of course, it works as comedy, it never flags, and it is incredibly entertaining.

In my opinion, Shirley Valentine is the part that nobody in the world could play better than Sheridan Smith. Like in "Flare Path," she gets desperately vulnerable; like in "Legally Blonde," she is brightly exuberantly relatable; like in "Funny Girl," she fires off lines like comic bullets. I found myself belly laughing at all of life's absurdities that Willy Russell so poignantly and hilariously writes about.

Smith is 4 months shy of the 42 years of age that Russell specifies for Shirley Valentine in the play, closer than Pauline Collins or Meera Syal were when they played the part. If you see the show at the end of the run, she'll be almost the exact age to the month lol.

She's the part in every other way, from the wit to the self-doubt to the fierce determination.

She's every other part too, as Smith is a marvellous mimic, capturing accents of people and also their attitudes. A well captured accent can be funny, but a well captured attitude is funnier, and combined, it's laughs squared. When you add in Smith's ability to instantly react to the voices and attitudes in all of Shirley's relatable blundering vivaciousness, it's laughs cubed.

This is one of the shows of the year, for me. I want to see it again, and I went ahead and booked a cheap seat for June lol. (At last night's show, I splashed out for a Row E premium-adjacent £55 stalls seat, but I can't spare that much again lol).

5 stars from me, without question.

Anyone know when press night is? Can't find anything kn t'internet.

Poll added. Go smash some plates!!!

My fourth production of Shirley Valentine, and the best so far.

While Sheridan Smith gets through the material more rapidly than previous actresses, it never feels rushed. The juxtaposition of comedy and pathos is beautifully written and brilliantly delivered.

I have never felt quite so involved before in Shirley Bradshaw's three-act conversation with the fourth wall; here, I felt like a valued confidant. It was hard to remember I was watching a performance and not listening to the outpourings of a real person, a person lost and trying to find herself. That's surely a stage of life we all experience at least once and can relate to. We settle for the routine and the mundane, in life and in relationships, and give up on our youthful hopes and dreams. As Peggy Lee once rued in the deathbed lament -- is that all there is? Instead, Shirley teaches us to be alive.

Five stars.

Acts 1 & 2: 19:33-20:36
Act 3: 20:57-21:32

Footnotes:
The Duke of York's must have the ugliest safety curtain ever. It looks like a giant square ironing board cover. Has it always been so?
ATG should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves with the programmes their venues have been putting out lately. This one was devoid of any content other than a cast list, biogs and some rehearsal pics, all for the prepay price of £5.50, which is apparently a discount on the walk-up cost.

It’s a bit off topic, but yeah they’re really bad lately. The one for The King and I tour is just bios. No rehearsal shots or context, not even a song list. Just bios.