Theatre / Shirley Valentine, by Willy Russell, directed by Lee Lewis. At The Canberra Theatre, until March 23. Reviewed by SIMONE PENKETHMAN.

Renowned Australian actor and singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte stars in this production of the British comedy, Shirley Valentine, which premiered way back in 1986.

It’s a one-woman show that tells the story of a 42-year-old working-class housewife in Liverpool, England. Shirley dulls her boredom and loneliness by drinking wine and talking to her kitchen wall, while cooking eggs and chips for her husband’s dinner.

Simone Romaniuk’s set and costumes show a modest, neat home-life in which nothing much has changed since the 1960s.

The first half of the opening act is sassy and laugh-out-loud enjoyable. Bassingthwaighte is electric as the self-effacing empty-nester who dreams of drinking wine in a country where the grapes are grown.

The tone turns darker as she fears her husband’s return from work and his certain disapproval of the meal.

But Shirley is planning an adventurous escape. And her formally happy marriage has soured to the point that she can’t tell her husband of her plans.

Act 2 is set in Greece where Shirley rediscovers her younger self and her maiden name, Valentine. There are other discoveries too, including her clitoris – a part of the anatomy that Shirley knows Sigmund Freud believes can only lead to immature orgasms.

The show is a fun journey back in time to a fantasy adventure with echoes of The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.

But the end signals a deflating return to the status quo.

When watching a new production of an older play, I always wonder why? What does it mean to present this work now?

In 2025, we live in an economy of working women and older mothers. There are very few 42-year-old empty-nesters and even fewer working-class, full-time housewives.

Shirley Valentine is certainly a loveable character and Bassingthwaighte, a compelling performer.

But when the show closed and a portion of the audience rose to their feet clapping enthusiastically, I noticed that many of them were grey-haired men.

More of the female audience members, while still applauding, remained seated.