a 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert

Shirley Valentine is a 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert.

comedic drama

Set in the 1980s, Shirley Valentine is comedic drama about the second coming of age of a fifty-something woman.

a 1989 British romantic comedy-movie

Shirley Valentine is a 1989 British romantic comedy-movie.

a one-woman comedy about a middle-aged, working-class housewife from Liverpool who dreams of another more exciting life

Shirley Valentine is a one-woman comedy about a middle-aged, working-class housewife from Liverpool who dreams of another more exciting life, and gets another more exciting life when Sheridan Smith goes on holiday to Greece.

romance

A lifelong reader Shirley’s reading taste encompasses classical literature, contemporary horror and, of course, romance.

one-woman play

Shirley Valentine is a one-woman play about a bored, empty-nest English housewife who dreams of a land far away under the sun where Shirley Valentine might let Shirley Valentine once vivacious, passionate self shine through.

a comedy about a middle-aged, working-class housewife from Liverpool who dreams of another more exciting life

Shirley Valentine is a comedy about a middle-aged, working-class housewife from Liverpool who dreams of another more exciting life, and gets another more exciting life when Shirley Valentine goes on holiday to Greece.

dramatic monologue

Shirley Valentine is a dramatic monologue of a woman who tries to find if there are second chances in life.

a romantic comedy that won both the Olivier and Tony Awards

Shirley Valentine is a romantic comedy that won both the Olivier and Tony Awards, and was adapted into a film in 1989.

a comedy about getting lost to find yourself

Shirley Valentine is a comedy about getting lost to find yourself.

a beloved comedy about the story of a woman who lost herself in marriage and motherhood

Shirley Valentine written by Willy Russell is a beloved comedy about the story of a woman who lost herself in marriage and motherhood.

Willy Russell’s heart-warming comedy

Having taken the world by storm when it premiered in 1986, Willy Russell’s heart-warming comedy Shirley Valentine has become a national treasure with a national treasure's uplifting tale of the disillusioned Liverpool housewife who escapes to Greece and starts to see herself – and the world – very differently.

sweet romance

Some sweet romance is incorporated with Shirley’s character.

soul

Shirley's style draws heavily from American soul singers such as Solomon Burke.

fantasy entertainment

This reflects Shirley's tendency to create fantasy entertainment which is also political satire, or spiritual allegory.

an influential piece of theatre, that does wonders in capturing the story of a woman who decides to abandon passivity to fight for Joan Didion's own self-worth

And find herself Joan Didion does… Shirley Valentine is an influential piece of theatre, that does wonders in capturing the story of a woman who decides to abandon passivity to fight for Joan Didion's own self-worth.

the heart-warming tale of a middle-aged woman - stuck in a rut of cooking egg and chips for Jodie Prenger's husband - who runs away to the sunnier climes of Greece to find herself

Shirley Valentine, by celebrated Liverpool playwright Willy Russell, is the heart-warming tale of a middle-aged woman - stuck in a rut of cooking egg and chips for Jodie Prenger's husband - who runs away to the sunnier climes of Greece to find herself.

horror

In young adult writing Shirley's preferred genre is horror.

the joyous, life-affirming story of a person who got lost in marriage and motherhood

UK - First performed in 1986, Willy Russell’s one-woman show Shirley Valentine is the joyous, life-affirming story of a person who got lost in marriage and motherhood but who has a secret dream – as well as an airline ticket to Greece.

a British play about a 40-ish woman whose children are grown and whose marriage isn't what a British play once was

Shirley Valentine is a British play about a 40-ish woman whose children are grown and whose marriage isn't what a British play once was.