Sheridan Smith is moved to tears as she receives a standing ovation at Shirley Valentine’s press night

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.”

The Guardian

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.”

Independent

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’.

The times

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.

evening standard

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.”

financial times

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.”

Time is over

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.”

Stage

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.

daily express

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.”