WHERE are we with female empowerment? Surely, we aren’t still stuck in the Eighties, when women were caged by financial immobility and locked into put-upon relationships largely because there was no option?

And if that is the case – that we have moved on – how relevant is Shirley Valentine?

Sally Reid takes a break from rehearsals, set to appear as the woman who changed the thinking process for millions – and probably the life trajectory of almost as many.

Reid, one of Scotland’s most in-demand actors, believes that Shirley isn’t dated at all. “I guess I realised this was a story of a woman who is stuck. She is not necessarily me, but I know so many friends, sisters and aunties of friends, with whom this story resonates. Shirley is also stuck in this ‘loveless’ marriage, she’s a woman who has lost her way. And that happens. I can resonate with that.”

Reid, who is a regular on BBC Scotland’s Scot Squad, adds; “Shirley Valentine was written in the Eighties, but the fundamental questions remain; ‘Am I getting enough out of life?’ I ask myself that. ‘What else is there?’ You can ask these questions in any period.”

Shirley Valentine, which became a film in 1989 starring Pauline Collins, is a married woman whose life’s purpose is to make sure her husband is fed and contented. Her dreams are locked away and she is judged not by her intellect or the depth of her imagination, but how well she manages to fry an egg - or remember that husband has steak on a Tuesday.

What did Reid feel she grasped in reading the play that she could sell to director Elizabeth Newman? “I came to realise Shirley is a philosopher. She has some beautiful ideas about life. She’s a great observer of people and humanity. Talking to the wall is her therapy.

“And Shirley Valentine is about connection. It’s not about drinking wine on a beach. It’s about being listened to. It’s about being in the moment. It’s about not allowing the flame to go out.”

Elaine C. Smith once played Shirley Valentine in Scots. However, Reid won’t be using a Scots accent. “It will be Liverpool we hear on stage,” she explains, smiling, of choosing Russell’s original character dialect.

“I thought of doing it in my own accent, but sort of realised that rural sing-song Perthshire isn’t quite right. Shirley’s background is industrial Liverpool. Her life reflects that.”

To say Sally Reid has immersed herself in the life of Shirley Valentine is an understatement. “In rehearsals in Shirley’s kitchen I’ve put my own fruit in the fruit bowl and water in the fridge, so I’m living and breathing Shirley’s space,” she says, grinning. “I need it to look like I’m entire world.

“My only worry about the actual performance is I have to peel and cut potatoes on stage. I’m hopeless.” She offers a dark laugh. “There’s a real chance I could cut one of my fingers off.”

Shirley Valentine, Pitlochry Theatre, October 13-29, the Isles of Mull and Iona, November 1-4.

Don’t Miss: The Peace Piece, a ‘hilarious Alan Partridge-esque satire that looks in on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Wellness-ness and Mel Gibson’s terrible accent in Braveheart. Featuring Joe Douglas and Faisal Abu Alhayjaa.

Dreamgirls

THE INSPIRATION behind Dreamgirls, the theatre shown which became a movie starring Beyonce, is the story of the Supremes.

Don’t expect to see Baby Love or Stop in The Name of Love performed on stage. And don’t expect to see a searing indictment of the music industry played out by a sound-a-like trio.

But you can expect a play performed with great energy and pace, with a storyline that serves as a platform upon which a clutch of very good songs can be played out.

The story follows a wide-eyed trio hoping to harmonise their way to stardom. But (as was the case with Diana Ross) their talented lead singer, Effie, is side-lined when a pretty, pop-friendly new talent is chosen to front the group.

As expected, we go on the journey of these naïve young talents as they transform into jaded superstars. We watch and listen intently as they change partners and musical styles and oh so many costumes and wigs.

The men are in evidence not simply to play a foil to the aspirations of the vocal group. They offer up layers in the relationships, particularly between that of Curtis and Deena, the husband/manager who sees his wife/star as his possessions.

It’s a familiar tale in the music industry, but that is reason enough why it should be incorporated into this stage show. Another (sadly) familiar tale is the racism evident in the Sixties.

This is a powerful show, it traces not only the development of musical genres, from Motown to soul to disco, it traces the development of women in the music industry, of the battle to be heard, not only in business but in personal relationships.

It’s also a story about independence, about the desperate importance of friendship and of the battles that have to be won in order to tell, or sing, your story.

Dreamgirls, October 10 – 22, the King’s Theatre, Glasgow.