Sheridan Smith is moved to tears as she receives a standing ovation at Shirley Valentine’s press night
Sheridan Smith was moved to tears Wednesday night after her one-woman performance as middle-aged lonely heart Shirley Valentine earned a standing ovation.
The actress, 41, donned the shoes first worn by Pauline Collins in a 1989 film of the same name to play Valentine in a new West End production at London’s Duke Of York Theatre, a turn that has been a hit with critics.
Her press night performance was met with an enthusiastic reception, with an emotional Smith evidently surprised by the response as she closed the performance by welcoming her 22-month-old son Billy to the stage.
A source told MailOnline: “She carried her baby onstage, who greeted the crowd adoringly, kissed her mother on the cheek and continued to applaud.”
“The audience was captivated and it was the perfect ending to Sheridan’s most impressive performance in a one-woman show.
Hit: Sheridan Smith was moved to tears Wednesday night after her one-woman performance as middle-aged lonely-hearted Shirley Valentine earned a standing ovation.
In good company: An emotional Smith closed the performance by welcoming her 22-month-old son Billy to the stage.
A source told MailOnline: “She carried her baby onstage, who greeted the crowd adoringly, kissed her mother on the cheek and continued to applaud.”
Side by side: Smith struggled to regain his composure after a pajama-clad Billy appeared onstage at London’s Duke Of York Theater
“She wowed audiences every time and took them on the most beautiful journey, with ease.”
The Matthew Dunster-directed show, which runs until June, has already made history by breaking the Duke of York’s box office record after opening with advance bookings totaling £4 million.
Attendees at Wednesday’s official launch included Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who was joined by her mother Judith, and former Brookside actress Claire Sweeney.
Shirley Valentine, which was also made into a 1989 film with Pauline Collins, is a one-woman show that tells the story of a working-class housewife from Liverpool.
The play is the joyous and life-affirming story of the woman who lost herself in marriage and motherhood, the woman who ended up talking to the kitchen wall while cooking her husband’s hashbrowns and egg.
Popular: “She wowed audiences every time and took them on the most beautiful journey, with ease,” the source added.
Thank you very much: The couple waved as they prepared to leave the stage on Wednesday night.
She is pleased: the actress gave the guests the go-ahead before leaving the stage.
Looking back: The role of Shirley Valentine was made famous by 82-year-old actress Pauline Collins when it was made into a movie in 1989.
Sheridan Smith in Shirley Valentine: What are the critics saying?
daily mail
Classification: 
“The warmth of her huge smile in Willy Russell’s one-woman story of a lonely middle-aged housewife in Liverpool is simply irresistible.”
“Sheridan is a pina colada, complete with cocktail umbrella, for the movie’s pint of Watney’s Red Barrel.”
Classification:
“The deeper existential elements are propelled by Smith’s disarming and quietly stunning performance. She extracts every ounce of unabashed comedy, but also builds an emotional undercurrent so surreptitious and organic that we buy into every moment, and the play is timelessly relevant.”
Classification:
‘Sheridan Smith and Shirley Valentine: It’s a match made in theater heaven.’
“Smith looks so at home on stage, and with record-breaking early box office grosses and an extended run of 15 weeks, I suspect he could take up permanent residence in the West End if he wanted to.”
‘She already has two Olivier Awards to her name; a third seems a certainty’.
Classification:
“Smith is a perfect fit for the role in director Matthew Dunster’s energetic production. He’s irreverent, sparkling and, beneath his dazzling smile, captivatingly vulnerable.’
A gifted impersonator, Smith brings to life the subsidiary figures: husband, daughter, and irresponsible friends.
Classification:
“Sheridan Smith has great warmth, impeccable timing, and a rare ability to connect with the audience as an equal.”
“With almost any other actress, I suspect she would be incredibly condescending and old-fashioned.”
“It’s great to see her back on stage, even in material as dated as this.”
Classification:
‘Smith, theoretically, is delivering his monologue to “wall,” the silent, grease-spattered recipient of his confidences. But really, he’s speaking directly to the audience, bringing out every ounce of humor from Russell’s witty script.”
“Smith exudes joy as he begins to indulge his own long-suppressed appetites, instead of satisfying those of others.”
Classification:
“Sheridan Smith is terrific in Matthew Dunster’s deft revival of Willy Russell’s monologue, equal parts uplifting and chilling.”
“Now he’s back in a role he might have been born to play… hyper-busy Matthew Dunster is directing.”
Classification:
‘Sheridan Smith revives Willy Russell’s hackneyed monologue.’
“This time, in an eminently capable production by Matthew Dunster, it’s Sheridan Smith wielding the frying pan and tanning oil, and she could hardly be more radiantly charming, or display a more deft and persuasive mastery of Russell’s mix of sentimentality and irony. humor, but it just doesn’t seem like enough.
Classification:
‘Sheridan Smith and Shirley Valentine go together like eggs and chips. Good thing, because Smith spends much of the first half of Willy Russell’s 1986 one-man show preparing that very dish for her husband.
“His gift for instant audience communication, combined with impeccable comedic timing, extracts all the laughs from Russell’s script that turns marital clichés into verbal gold.”
But Shirley still has a secret dream. And in her bag, a plane ticket. It is possible that one day she will simply leave a note that says: ‘she Gone! I went to Greece.
The play was written by Willy Russell, directed by Matthew Dunster, designed by Paul Wills, with lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, and produced by David Pugh.
After she took the stage for the first performance, audience members took to social media to discuss the show, calling Sheridan’s performance “perfect.”
One wrote: ‘@sheridansmith1 wow what a performance, a true icon and such talent. One woman show so amazing @shirleyonstage a must see’.
“A well deserved standing ovation for @sheridansmith1 tonight after an incredible opening night performance as Shirley Valentine. Craving fries and egg now,” another tweeted.
Upbeat: Smith greeted viewers with a smile as he left the theater later that night.
There it is: The actress turned heads in a sleek black pantsuit and a crisp white shirt.
Company of three: (L-R) Playwright Willy Russell, actress Sheridan Smith and director Matthew Dunster
Make Way: Guests for the evening included former Brookside star Claire Sweeney and Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden
In attendance: Former Hollyoaks star Gary Lucy joined his mother Ros at the show.
Pals: Smith reunited with his close friend Sweeney after the show at London’s Duke Of York theater
Double Act: Holden was joined by her mother Judith when she arrived at the theater before the one-woman show.
Others noted that she “shredded it out of the park.”
One simply shared: “Sheridan Smith as Shirley Valentine in West End – absolutely divine.”
Speaking earlier about taking on the role, Sheridan explained: “As a mother, now myself, I’m delighted to play the most beloved mother in the theater and I’m honored to be tasked by Willy Russell to bring his Shirley to life once again in West”. End.
‘Now, to practice cooking French fries and egg.’