Educating Rita

Todmorden Hippodrome Theatre kindly invited me to review their production of the play; ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell. This was, from start to finish, a fantastic production, Todmorden played to full houses for every performance. The standing ovation the cast and crew received at the end of the show, was testament to the quality of the overall production. First shown in the 1980’s, this play has stood the test of time, dealing with topics such as class, literary judgment, social expectations, and education, as relevant now as 40 years ago. It is the story of Rita, a married hairdresser from Liverpool, who enrolls in Open University to study English Literature. Her tutor is Frank, a former poet and current academic who believes he performs best under the influence of alcohol.

Director Elizabeth Holland was hands on in this production, her influence running through all departments. She designed an excellent set with Steve Clarkson; floor to ceiling walls made up Frank’ office. The main back wall housed a doorframe that deliberately stuck whenever Rita entered through it. The set construction, by David Winslow, Ellie Badrick, Arty Cox, Tim Garforth, and Joe Marsden was fantastic. The door could be forcibly slammed and yet there was no set wobble whatsoever. The large gothic ‘stone’ window with six panes of glass, through which the audience could see trees and the sky, looked beautiful. Frank’s desk sat to the right of the stage, in front of the window, whilst to the left a small coffee table with chairs allowed the actors another place to sit. Two bookshelves lined the back wall, either side of the door, with an impressive number of books and ornaments on them. The props team, including, Nina Hatfield, Sam Garforth, Elizabeth Holland, and Steve Clarkson worked hard on this production. There was a plethora of nicknacks, adorning all the surfaces. Kudos to the props team for supplying the exact books discussed throughout the play, the attention to detail was unequivocal. This was very much a team effort, all departments completely focused and synchronised under the watchful eye of Stage Manager, Sam Garforth. 80’s classic pop songs segued scenes together, allowing time for Rita’s many costume changes. A key element of the play is the change in Rita’s style, reflecting her character as she evolved. The wardrobe team: Madeleine Cullinane and Joanne Howard provided iconic 80’s fashions, double denim, knee knee-high boots and garish jewellery to name a few. They worked hard backstage with mere seconds to do a full change, each time, Rita was dressed differently to show the passage of time. This was a fantastic example of teamwork. Lighting and sound supplied by Ged McPhail and Leila Badrick was flawless. The subtle change of lighting through the window as evening grew darker throughout the year was a great touch. The show had a polished feel, nothing had been left unattended, it looked and sounded great.

This was a two person play. Both actors had huge chunks of dialogue to deliver. Hannah Sutcliffe was excellent as Rita. Her Liverpudlian accent was impressive, she had the dialect without exaggerating it too much. Her cadence rose and fell naturally, her dialogue delivered conversationally and with ease. Hannah had honed her character, her comedy timing was great, she did not drop a beat. She was funny and charming, loud, and brash with an abundance of stage presence. A fabulous performance from Hannah.

The rapport between Rita and Frank was strong. John Spooner was a joy to watch as he played the alcohol fuelled lecturer Frank. The audience laughed aloud as he wandered from bookshelf to bookshelf ‘finding’ bottles of liquor squirrelled away. He was a convincing drunk, comically staggering around at one point, without overplaying it. John displayed an immense variety of emotions, all whilst either slightly inebriated or flat out blotto’ed. He was noticeably confident in his portrayal and for good reason. He was funny, charming, infuriating, and selfish and the audience loved it. His delivery was natural, conversational, his timing was perfect. A powerful performance from John.

It was a pleasure to watch ‘Educating Rita.’ As always, I would like to thank David Winslow for looking after myself and my husband. Thank you to all the front of house team for their warm welcome. I look forward to seeing your next production.

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