Educating Rita

Most people will have seen the 1980’s film which catapulted the talented Julie Walters to fame and earned her and Michael Caine a BAFTA and a Golden Globe each for their performances. These are big boots to fill and a brave choice for any amateur society. It tells the story of a young working-class hairdresser who wants to better herself and enrols in the Open University to study English Literature. She is assigned Frank as her tutor, a frustrated poet, who is a middle-aged, bored alcoholic working as a lecturer at a university. 

The entire play is set in the Professor’s office and this was recreated perfectly in this production.  The window was cleverly provided by a projected image on a screen on the back wall, which showed the passage of time by the changing seasons on the scene outside. There was so much detail on set, with piles of books all over the floor, a 1980’s typewriter on filing cabinets, old chairs, desks piled with messy paperwork and bookcases galore.  This really enhanced the production and gave an interesting backdrop for the unfolding scenes.

With a cast of just two, the play lives or dies with these two actors. Professor Frank was suitably dishevelled and cynical when Rita first arrives and handled his slow descent into alcoholism well. This was first night and not unsurprisingly there were a few moments when it felt like the Professor was grappling for the next line.  However, he covered it well by relying on the vague haphazard character of this intellectual and he gave a fine performance.

Most of the dialogue is Rita’s and this amazing actress did not miss a beat. She had a very pleasing lilting Liverpudlian accent which was not too obvious but appropriate and she managed to deliver around two hours of dialogue with apparent ease. This really was an exceptional performance in every respect. Her lines were delivered with a good pace, light and shade and humour. Between every scene she had a quick change into another appropriate outfit which slowly changed from brash to sophisticated as her character progressed through her education.  Like Julie Walters, this was an award-winning performance that could have graced any professional stage.  Many congratulations.

Direction was strong and the relationship between Rita and Frank was well defined. As Rita becomes more confident and educated, Frank reaches for the bottle until it is ‘suggested’ that he takes a sabbatical to Australia. This slow transition for both characters was evident and there was a good pace throughout and a heart-warming relationship between them.  The music played between each scene did become a little irritating and began to feel like being on hold for a very long time on a call to British Gas.  Some variation in the music would have been welcomed, but this is a very minor point and certainly didn’t spoil what was an exceptional production. Willy Russell really understands working class women and their hopes and aspirations and his witty and poignant writing was allowed to soar in this production. Many congratulations to all involved on an exceptional evening of theatre.

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