Pauline Collins as Shirley Valentine addresses the kitchen wall in the Broadway production

Shirley Valentine is a play by Willy Russell. William Russell (born 23 August 1947 in Whiston Merseyside) is a British Playwright, Screenwriter, Author,

Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad. A monologue is an extended uninterrupted speech or poem by a single person Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Homemaker is a mainly American term which may refer either to the person within a family who is primarily concerned with the management of the household whether Wondering what happened to herself, now feeling stagnant and in a rut, Shirley finds herself regularly talking to the wall while preparing her husband's chips 'n' egg, until her best friend wins a trip-for-two to Greece. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Without a second thought, she packs her bags, leaves a note on the kitchen table, and heads for a fortnight of rest and relaxation. What she finds is romance and a new awareness of who she is and what her existence can be with just a little effort on her part.

Commissioned by the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, the play premiered in 1986, with Noreen Kershaw directed by Glen Walford. The Everyman Theatre is a Theatre on Hope Street in Liverpool, England. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Noreen Kershaw is an English television actress She originated the title role of the play Shirley Valentine, later made famous by Pauline Collins. Two years later it opened in London's West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, with Pauline Collins, directed by Simon Callow. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" This article discusses a performance space For the theatrical genre please see Vaudeville. Pauline Collins, OBE (born 3 September 1940) is an English actress who is known for playing Sarah in Upstairs Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE (born 15 June 1949) is an English stage, Film and Television Actor

After eight previews, the Broadway production, with Collins again directed by Callow, opened on February 16, 1989 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for 324 performances. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Booth Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in midtown- Manhattan, New York City Ellen Burstyn replaced Collins later in the run. Ellen Burstyn (born December 7, 1932) is an American Academy Award -winning actress

Loretta Swit starred in a US national tour in 1995. Loretta Swit (born November 4 1937) is an American stage and television actress primarily known for her character-type roles

Russell adapted his play for the 1989 film version directed by Lewis Gilbert. Events Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton Georgia for $20 million Lewis Gilbert CBE (born March 6, 1920) is an English Film director, producer and Screenwriter, born in Collins reprised her stage role, and the characters to whom Shirley merely had referred on stage were portrayed by Tom Conti, Alison Steadman, Joanna Lumley, Bernard Hill, and Sylvia Sims. Tom Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish Academy Award -nominated and Tony Award -winning Actor, Theatre Alison Steadman OBE (born on August 26 1946) is anaward-winning English stage film TV and radio actress. For the sixteenth century translator see Jane Lumley. Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE (born 1 May 1946) is an English Bernard Hill (born 17 December 1944) is a British Actor of film stage and television Sylvia Syms OBE (born 6 January 1934) is an Ondas Award-winning English actress. The film was partly shot on Mykonos, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Mykonos ( Greek: Μύκονος is a Greek island and a mass tourist destination renowned for its cosmopolitan character and its intense nightlife The CYCLADES Packet switching network was an extremely influential French network system in the early 1970s similar to the ARPANET. Etymology In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean.

Quotes from the film

• "I'm not saying she's a bragger. But if you've been to Paradise, she's got a season ticket! If you've got a headache, she's got a brain tumour!"

• Joe: I always get my tea at 6 o'clock!"
  Shirley: Well, just think how exciting it'd be, if for once, you had it at a quarter past six? It'd make the headlines. "World Exclusive". "Joe Eats Late"

• "It's not right, is it? I mean, if God had wanted you to create a vegetarian dog he'd have made you a yogurt hound; or a Veggie-burger hound. . . but you're a blood hound. You need meat!"'

• "I said, Joe, have you ever heard of the clitoris? He didn't even look up from his paper. Yeah, he says. But it doesn't go as well as the Ford Cortina!"

• "Well, tickle my tits till Friday!"

• Shirley: That's right, Milandra, I'm off to Greece for the sex. Sex for breakfast, sex for lunch, sex for tea and sex for supper.
  Neighbour: Sounds like a marvellous diet, love!
  Shirley: "It is! Have you never heard of it? It's called the F plan!"

• "To her, I am no longer Shirley Valentine, middle-aged housewife beginning to sag a bit"

• "Jane left her husband. It was before I met her. Apparently, she came home early one day and found him in bed with the milkman! Honest to God, the milkman! From that day on, I've noticed she never takes milk in her tea.

• "You really know how to talk to women, don't you? I mean, most men, they've got no idea. They feel they have to take over the conversation. I mean, with most men, if you say something like my favourite season is Autumn, they go whoa whoa whoa, my favourite season is Spring! And then you've got 10 minutes of them, talking about Spring when you weren't even talking about Spring, you were talking about Autumn!"

• "So don't talk to me about the English. Because while the Greeks were building roads and cities and temples, what were the English doing? I'll tell you what the English were doing. They were running around in loincloths, plowing up the earth with the arse bone of a giraffe!

• "It's a good thing we're not having soup. Otherwise, I'd put me head in it and drown myself!"'

• "I'm not really fond of it, sex! I think sex is like a supermarket. Just a whole lot of pushing and shoving and you still come out with very little in the end. "

• "He kissed my stretch marks!"

Awards and nominations

• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy (winner)
• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress (winner)
• Tony Award for Best Play (nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (winner)
• Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut (winner)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play (nominee)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (winner)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play (nominee)
• Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (winner)
• Academy Award for Best Actress (nominee)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, Comedy or Musical (nominee)
• BAFTA for Best Film Actress (winner)
• BAFTA for Best Screenplay (winner)

External links

• Internet Broadway Database listing
• Shirley Valentine at the Internet Movie Database