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Shirley Valentyn everyone’s favourite gatvol tannie is back
Overwhelming public demand has ensured that we can’t keep this wicked gal down.
Willy Russell’s ‘Shirley Valentine’ was not only a hit play on English stages around the world, but it also spawned a popular British movie.
Hennie van Greunen’s Afrikaans reworking of this perennial favourite won KKNK and Fleur du Cap awards, but - most importantly - it has won the hearts of Afrikaans-speaking audiences, who keep asking whether Shirley will be back.
Well, the wait is over - ‘Shirley Valentyn’ is back, and she’s in the capable hands of that effervescent star of stage and TV, Shaleen Surtie –Richards. The miracle of this play is that the awakening of a repressed, depressed housewife manages to hit the funny bone whilst still being immensely moving and human.
It’s difficult to walk away dispassionately from the story of Shirley Paulse; the mother, the wife - and, it seems, the slave - who awakens one day from a prison of her own making. What, she wonders, has become of Shirley Valentyn; the woman who could laugh like a drain, who wasn’t afraid of anything, and who acted on sheer, dizzying whimsy? It’s time, she decides, to rediscover the zestful, lusty girl that once occupied her shoes...
Hennie van Greunen also wears his director’s cap for this season, thereby ensuring that every nuance of his delightful localisation of the play is brought to the stage. And what more appropriate time for the show to be revived - during Women’s Month!
In addition to the show’s adoring audiences, the critics have also made their pleasure known:
“It’s a rare treat to see Surtie-Richards in a role so ideally suited to her, and in a performance that will make you run to box office for a second time.” Beeld (translated)
“What it means to be human is thoroughly and honestly captured in this piece. In that respect it is an inspiration - as a play, it’s an unforgettable experience.” Die Burger (translated)
“Shirley Valentyn... is one of the finest productions I have ever seen.” Artsmart
“It's a magical play that reaches its target audience through humour, draws them in, and silences them with pathos...”
Pretoria News
‘Shirley Valentyn’ is a Kosie House of Theatre production.
VENUE : The Main Auditorium at Joburg Promusica, Roodepoort
DATE : August 27th and 28th
TIME : 8pm (doors open 20 minutes before curtain-up)
TICKETS : R120
Bookings can be done at any Computicket outlet, or online at www.computicket.com
The Joburg Promusica theatre complex, situated within the Civic Centre at Florida Park, Roodepoort, offers ample free parking for patrons.
