Educating Rita, an Olivier award winning play – as well as a 1980s hit film featuring Michael Caine and Julie Walters – is essentially a comedy about the snobbiness of the academic world clashing with working class reality.
When married hairdresser Rita (Jessica Johnson) decides to expand her horizons with an Open University degree in English literature, she meets Frank (Stephen Tompkinson), a brilliant university tutor who has suffered a fall from grace as a failed poet delving further into alcoholism.
As Frank reluctantly agrees to mentor Rita (mainly as a way of funding his
drink problem despite already dismissing her as a waste of time), their lives collide through a series of meetings as Rita determinedly chases her dreams.
However as Frank becomes more of a father figure than a tutor and Rita starts to flourish as an educated young woman, the pair face the challenges of being from two different social classes. It is clear they both have a lot to learn from each other.
The simple one set play features the interactions between Rita and Frank in his university office, with clever lighting and music cues to signify lapses in time.
With a two character play, the roles can be quite demanding with lengthy narratives and interactions. It is imperative the audience are engaged from the start. Luckily Johnson’s arrival on stage is a whirlwind of brash humour, energy and determination as she wins the hearts of the audience almost immediately as she sashays into the office. W
ith a hint of My Fair Lady, Johnson’s somewhat brash yet endearing, machine gun rhetoric and brilliant comic timing makes a thoroughly entertaining performance.
However, there are also some gentle tear-jerking moments as Rita faces stereotypes and glass ceilings that she is determined to shatter.
Tompkinson, a television favourite, is clearly at home in the comedy role of
Frank, complete with his witty droll and humour raising plenty of laughs in the audience. Yet he is also able to portray the struggles of the dark side of his character, which feature more prominently as the friendship with Rita flourishes.
The stage presence of both characters is commendable and the key to the success of the show. Willy Russell describes his play quite adeptly.
“Educating Rita is not a problem play. It is not the problem of that girl persuading the authorities to give her a grant. It is the problem of every human being who wanted something that was being denied them, and who then found herself trying to make life better for herself.”
Educating Rita is a fun and entertaining show which taps into a range of emotions. Tickets available until Saturday 29th February.