Cheryl Willis is Shirley Valentine!

Now that we have moved from the rehearsal space at Old Arizona to the theater itself, where the set for the opening production of the Jungle’s 21st Birthday Season is being completed, we have begun to make the ultimate transition to the production’s real world, its home for the next two months.

And whom do we find at home on the Jungle stage this February but Cheryl Willis, the star of Willy Russell’s formidable one woman show, Shirley Valentine. Cheryl plays the legendary Shirley Valentine, that housewife from Liverpool who, on a two-week trip to Greece, experiences a new and revolutionary connection to self that illumines her world.

Cheryl herself hails from Liverpool and imbues the text with a musicality and an authenticity that is almost impossible for an American actor to achieve. The charm of the Liverpool accent is rarely heard on American stages and since so much of a character’s persona and spirit rests in the authenticity and specificity of dialect, the Jungle is truly blessed to have Cheryl essaying the life-changing journey of Shirley Valentine (as the Past that was her Present morphs into the dynamic new shape of NOW).

Don’t miss the charm and lyricism, toughness and delicacy that Cheryl brings to the role. Join me for an inspiring, breakout performance of this immensely gifted actress!