Make An Escape To ‘Shirley Valentine’

Give yourself a “Valentine” present.

Go see “Shirley Valentine,” which opens tonight at the ACT Theatre, 425 N. Evergreen in the Valley. This one-woman play by Willy Russell has been a funny, rousing, touching crowd-pleaser whenever it has been produced in Spokane.

And this one promises to be especially good. Playing the part of Shirley is one of Spokane’s finest actresses, Susan Smith. She is a veteran of many Spokane Civic Theatre productions.

The play is about a 42-year-old Liverpool housewife who dreams about escaping her drab, restrained life. Eventually, as we discover, she does.

It is one of the most challenging and rewarding of roles. The director is Freddie Jenkins. “Shirley Valentine” opens tonight at 8 and continues Saturday, Sunday and on May 11-13. All shows are at 8 p.m. except for Sunday’s show, which is at 7 p.m. Tickets, $6, are available by calling 921-1706.

Also, there will be a special Mother’s Day brunch matinee on May 14.

Brunch begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by the show at 2 p.m.

An Evening of One-Act Dramas

Two directors from Coeur d’Alene are opening an unusual double bill Thursday in Coeur d’Alene: “Purgatory,” by W.B. Yeats, and “Haiku,” by Katherine Snodgrass.

Kristin Hasseries will direct the Yeats play, which is a tragedy set in Ireland. Tracey Benson will direct the other one-act, which is about an autistic girl who speaks in haiku poetry.

These one-acts will be staged at the Coeur d’Alene Theater for Youth, which is a drama school in the former Washington Water Power building, 501 Lakeside, Suite No. 3. This is not one of the school’s productions - the school has merely provided the performance space.

The shows will run May 11-14. Curtain times are at 8 p.m., except the Sunday show which is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5, $3 for students and seniors, available at the door.