Shirley Valentine
by Willy Russell
Directed by Roy Steinberg
June 7th – July 2nd
Wednesday – Saturday at 7 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
“It is a mark of his genius, that Mr. Russell’s plethora of one-liners has stood the test of time and is just as funny and relevant today.”
– The Courier Evening Telegraph (2022)
A Liverpool housewife’s best friend wins a competition for a trip for two to Greece and she embarks on a travel adventure that transforms her life. This romantic comedy won both the Olivier and Tony Awards, and was adapted into a film in 1989. Called a “joyful, captivating piece of theater” by The New York Daily News, this celebrated one-woman play is a must see!
“Shirley Valentine” stars three-time Emmy Award winner, Cady McClain. A veteran actor and director, Cady will be appearing for the first time at Cape May Stage.
Special Show Dates:
- Wednesday, June 7: Preview Night with discounted tickets
- Thursday, June 8: Opening Night with Post-Show Party
- Friday, June 16: Best Value Night – All tickets available at the best value price of $35
- Sunday, June 25: Pay-What-You-Wish Rush tickets – All available tickets on the day of the performance can be purchased at the box office for whatever price you wish to pay. Starts one hour before curtain, cash only.
Age Guide: 16+
Running Time: 2 hours, including an intermission
Advisory: This play contains adult language and mature content themes.
* Tony Award Nominee for Best Play *
* Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play *
* Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy *
This show is brought to you in part by our sponsors:
Producer information coming soon!
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of becoming a member of our exclusive Producer’s Circle, click here.
Identity is at the core of so much in our culture in this summer of 2023. Trans people talk of their true gender identity and people with disabilities and people from marginalized ethnic or religious or sexual orientation communities talk of expressing their identity in the most public of ways. June is the month of Pride Day and Juneteenth. It is also when Cape May Stage mounts “Shirley Valentine”.
When Willy Russell wrote his hilarious “Shirley Valentine” in 1988 he could not have known how relevant it would be thirty-five years later. Shirley Bradshaw searches for her identity that has been lost when her role as wife and mother erased that true identity and it is only the chance encounter of a stranger that makes her re-discover the woman she was before society forced her to give up her maiden name.
The theme of this season is the importance of other people in one’s lives. Shirley’s friend, Jane, invites her to come along on a holiday to Greece and neither could predict how important that casual invitation would be.
Just as Shirley steps out of her comfort zone, we invite you to consider if there is anything that would make you more authentic after experiencing this production. Dr. Bruce Yankner at Harvard Medical School notes that older brains are better at making rational decisions and are better able to screen out negativity.
Perhaps we should all listen to Shirley as she aspires for her husband to “feel the sun on his skin an’ to be in water that’s as deep as forever, an’ to have his wet head kissed. He needs to stare out to sea. And to understand”.
We have the sea here in Cape May and I hear it is deep as forever…
Roy Steinberg, Producing Artistic Director
This production of “Shirley Valentine” stars Cady McClain, a three-time Emmy© Award winning actress, two-time Emmy© nominated director, and an accomplished producer and writer who has worked for over 40 years in film, television, and theater. Cady is also proud to be the Artistic Director for Axial Theatre, a twenty year theatrical institution dedicated to the development of new plays.
Click here to watch our official casting announcement video.
Click here to learn more about Cady McClain.
Willy Russell (playwright) was recently represented on Broadway with his smash–hit transfer from London, Blood Brothers. For Shirley Valentine Mr. Russell won the 1989 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award for Best Play and Oliver Award for Best Comedy of the Year. His worldwide hit play and movie Educating Rita won London’s SWET Award for Best Comedy, and in 1981, an Academy Award nomination for screenplay adaptation.
Born in Liverpool, he left school at 15 to become a hairdresser before returning to education and becoming a teacher. It was while training to become a teacher that he wrote his first play, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, When the Reds. His adaptation of Alan Plater’s Tigers are Coming O.K. was his first professional work, presented in Liverpool in 1973. This was followed by John Paul George Ringo… and Bert which moved from Liverpool to the West End, winning the Evening Standard and London Theatre Critics Awards for Best Musical. Mr. Russell was Commissioned to write a play for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The result, Educating Rita, ran on the West End for two years, has been performed all over the world and was made into a motion picture starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Blood Brothers opened in Liverpool in 1983, before subsequently moving to the West End.
In addition to the film Educating Rita he wrote screenplays for the movie versions of Shirley Valentine and Dancing Thru The Dark based on his plays Stags and Hens. His plays have been translated into almost every language, with productions currently running in Japan, Australia, South America, Scandinavia and Europe.
More crew information coming soon!
Press photos coming soon!
Coming Soon
View our full 2023 season schedule to see what other memorable events we have lined up for you this year at Cape May Stage!