Let's enjoy some laughter says Lancashire's Mina Anwar ahead of homecoming Shirley Valentine shows

Mina Anwar, who was born in Church but now lives in Cleveleys, is heading to two Lancashire theatres this spring to play the titular character in the iconic Shirley Valentine.

Having already kicked off the tour in Bolton’s the Octagon in February, the 55-year-old actress brings the show to Lancaster’s The Dukes between March 12 - March 22 and the Blackpool Grand Theatre from April 1 - April 5.

Before her homecoming shows in Lancashire, Mina sat down for a chat with celebrity reporter to chat all things Shirley Valentine, Lancashire, and local theatres so see what she had to say below.

How are you feeling about playing Shirley Valentine?

“Oh, it's brilliant. This is the second time I've done this. I originally did it in 2020, three weeks before the lockdown actually, in the Bolton Library because the Octagon was being refurbished and it was quite amazing then so to revisit it after five years is a privilege, and it's just extraordinary. The thing about this particular version of Shirley is that back in 2019 when Lottie Wakeman, the director, asked me to to do this, because I'd never really thought about doing a one woman show because I like working with other actors, I said to her, if I'm going to stand for two hours on the stage, I want to do it in in my accent, and this play has never been performed in a Lancashire accent so I got Willie Russell's permission to rewrite sections, to re-set it to Lancashire, to Accrington, where I'm from. He mentored me and then I had to go to his office and read it to him, which was quite scary and daunting but wonderful and he was just, so brilliant and inspiring. He said ‘yeah, that's great’ and this is historical, I suppose, that this iconic character suddenly has a Lancashire voice.

“I don't know if people know the story of Shirley Valentine, she's an ordinary woman who's sitting in her house and reflecting on her life and her marriage and her kids that have flown the nest and wondering if there was any more to her life. Then her friend offers her a ticket to go to Greece, and she contemplates whether that's actually even possible in her life to do something different, to go out of her comfort zone. Then it pursues from there, she goes to Greece in the second half and she finds out quite a lot about herself and it's a wonderful thing. It's also lovely to do it in my accent. It's wonderful to hear people responding to all the Lancashire references and a lot of the reviews, which have been staggeringly extraordinary, have said it makes it sound like a refreshingly new play and that they'd heard it differently for the first time, which is just remarkable, really, I like it.”

How does setting Shirley Valentine in Lancashire change the entire play compared to how it was done previously?

“I mean, it doesn't change the entire play, because the play is the play. The rhythms are the same and I very much honored what Willie wrote, which was extraordinary. All it does is give you a different accent but I have changed some references because originally it talks about lots of things around Liverpool that were seminal back in the 60s, 70s, 80s. I've just changed them to places that are connected to Accrington, like Rawtensall or King George's Hall in Blackburn, the Cats Whiskers nightclub or the Midland Hotel, whereas originally it was the Adelphi Hotel. I did quite a lot of research about what was the equivalent of what Willie had written that was seminal about Lancashire at the same time, and that makes that authentic, I suppose.

You've already spoken about the plot but what can audiences expect, in terms of what it's like to watch?

“All I know is that people seem to spontaneously stand up at the end and applaud. Some people don't realize -because they've seen the film that had the wonderful Pauline Collins in which was populated by lots of actors playing all the different characters that Shirley talks about - that this is a one woman show, so that's me for nearly two hours, and all the characters come out of Shirley. She's basically telling you lots and lots of funny stories, moving stories, like reflecting on her life, reflecting on being a woman at 42 and that's sometimes a surprise for people, because they wonder when the other characters are coming on. A man said to me last night, he'd come with his his wife, and he said ‘I didn't realize that this was a one person show, I don't know whether I would have come if somebody had told me that’ but he said that he was really pleased he came, it was one of the best evenings he's had in the theater for a long time.

“First half, you’re in her kitchen, and I make live egg and chips, literally from scratch, from getting the potatoes out of a bag, to the chips being cooked, the eggs, all whilst telling you stories. And then in the second half we’re transported off to Greece, and it's quite magical. You can hear people laughing, like full wholeheartedly belly laughing, and also sobbing. You can hear lots of reflective sobs, people getting the tissues out, and it's just so lovely. Every show is a different show. Everybody's audiences listen in a different way ao it makes it very spontaneous and real.”

How are you feeling about bringing the show to Blackpool?

“Yeah, brilliant, I love Blackpool. We've recently moved to Cleveleys, renovating a house. I love Blackpool, I love the Grand. The Grand is one of my favorite theatres. I played there years ago in Victoria Woods Talent and it's just magical, I go and see plays there regularly. My partner is a musical director who does a lot of work there as well. I just love it and that's probably why we moved. I used to go to Blackpool growing up, nearly every weekend, when you could walk straight onto the sand from the street. There wasn't barriers then, and they used to have all the donkeys on the sand. I have great, great memories and a nostalgxa, wonderful feeling about Blackpool always. I can't wait to play the theater, I think it will work so well. I love Blackpool audiences as well”

Why do you love Blackpool audiences?

“Just because they're brilliant. Like a lot of regional theatr audiences are, they're just really interested in the theatre and the Blackboard Grand puts so many different things that respond to what the communities want and I think it's just so brilliant. It's very important for me to play the regional theatres, because to have a theatre in a town is really important snd there's so many towns now that are losing their theatres, losing the center of the hub of the arts in their communities. I still think that having a theatre that provides art and creativity for different sections of the community is important, and also just the fact that they're open, they're welcoming. I do believe that some people don't know why a theatre in a town is for them and I hope that this version of Shirley Valentine brings new people in, and encourages people to really see the theatre as part of their lives. There's so much to watch now on the television, so many channels to watch, social media and YouTube, people forget why the theater is there and that theater, the Grand, it's wonderful. It's just had a wonderful refurbishment, I think it looks absolutely stunning. And yeah, I want to encourage people to go there, use the theater so that you don't lose it. That would be my hope and my dream, to bring lots of things to Blackpool Grand.”

You're also going to Lancaster so how are you feeling about that trip?

“Wonderful! I've never played the Dukes. It's a lovely theatre. I did direct a film version of a play there during the lockdown, The Importance of Being Earnest, that was also reset to Lancashire and Yorkshire. They played it there as a film in the cinema, as it was produced by them but I've never actually tread the boards there. So I'm looking forward to being on the stage there, and to be there as part of Chris Lawson's new season.”

You are a Fylde Coast local but have you got any plans for what you might get up to when you go to Lancaster?

“I don't know, I don't know Lancaster very well, because it's quite far away from things but I do love it when we go. It's a really beautiful town, a beautiful old town as well. I can't wait to just discover a new town in Lancashire because when I've done big tours, we don't really go to Lancaster so I look forward to being in a new city and being in a theatre that I'm unfamiliar with.”

Being from Lancashire, does it feel different for you when you're on stage in your home county?

“Not really. I love being on stage. I'm just there with the audience at every theatre. Theatre is magic, the reciprocity you get from an audience, the sharing of any type of artistic endeavor, whether it's Lancashire or elsewhere... is just brilliant. Every audience is different and I just look forward to to being in Lancashire. I do love it. I do love the thought of doing this play in the north. It's really special to me.”

Why should people in Lancashire buy tickets to see you in either of your two remaining Lancashire runs?

“Well, firstly, I’m also at Bolton. I'm at Bolton Octagon for four weeks til March. It's practically sold out, but there's still wonderful seats that you can still get, like there's seats at the balcony, which are actually really lovely seats. Then Lancaster and Blackpool just come out, have a great night in the theatre. Laugh, cry, reminisce, be part of this 40th anniversary year of this iconic play, the brilliance of Willie Russell, mixed in with my Lancashire bits of the play. Just come and see it, enjoy hearing it, perhaps in a different way if you've seen it before. And, yeah, let's enjoy some laughter, some egg and chips and just a great night in the theater. I'd love to see everyone. I like seeing people afterwards as well, it's great. I love hearing what people have to say and how they're feeling about it so, yeah, hopefully see you all there!”

Are you up to anything after Shirley Valentine?

“I'll tell you what I'm up to after Shirley Valentine - having a holiday! It's a lot, I do seven shows a week, two hours a night. Every show is two hours of me, and I look after myself, I'm very disciplined about making sure my voice is well, my body, my mind,so I can give everything completely and be present for every audience that comes to see that the play.

Well you’ll have to got to Greece like Shirely won't you!

No, no, no. I've been to Greece years ago, I've been to those islands that Shelly talks about and they are wonderful but no, my holiday is not to there!”