After seven months of closure and three postponements due to COVID-19, the Rose Theatre opens to laughter as Willy Russell’s 1980s classic, Educating Rita, is shown at last.
Brought to us by the award winning producer, David Pugh, and directed by Max Roberts from the Live Theatre, Liverpool, Educating Rita at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, superbly celebrates the fortieth anniversary of Willy Russell’s Olivier Award winning play with an added poignancy of hope, given the current circumstances. Unlike the 1983 film adaptation (which starred Michael Caine and Julie Walters), this production turns back to the original play script, with a cast of just two, Jessica Johnson (Rita) and Stephen Tompkinson (Frank) and a static set.
In a special appearance before the show, Robert O’Dowd, Chief Executive of the Rose, referred to the Rose’s closure over the past seven months and shared his vision for the production that ‘despite these times and maybe because of them’ the Rose’s ‘warm atmosphere’ persists, something that was especially embodied in this classic comedy.
In the play, Susan, a working class Liverpudlian hairdresser, finds herself yearning for something more than the ‘irrelevance’ of working class life. She enrolls herself in an Open University English Literature course, changing her name to Rita and being tutored by the depressed, alcoholic Dr Frank Bryant. At first, Frank finds Rita tiresome as a pupil but soon notices her thrill for learning, despite having not much prior education and not being of the same social class as his other students. Rita’s cheeky, bouncy excitement slowly ebbs away to a steady confidence as she finds herself spending more time with University students and she begins to outgrow her tutor, Frank. Frank seems desperate to respark Rita’s old excitement and, slowly, both of them begin to realise how much they have taught each other. This Pygmalion play sees Rita go against the accepted authority of the upper classes, whilst shining light on Rita’s idea that the working classes have ‘no culture’ and the ‘only way to find meaning is to educate yourself’. Later in the play, Rita conforms to the student stereotype, putting on a posh accent and wearing different clothes, but she, with help from Frank, later realises that she lost some of her individuality and identity in doing so.
The performances of Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson masterfully carry the show, painting a picture of the outside world through their perspective and conjuring new characters, who we get a vivid picture of, despite never being seen. The show is a comedy and created two unique, developing characters (from only two cast members) in order to make the play move and embody the journey which is vital to the play. One major feat is Rita’s development, shown compellingly through Johnson’s body language. At first, Johnson’s body language is excited, bouncy, almost fidgety, in contrast with Frank’s largely stationary staging. This makes Rita seem to own the stage and take over Frank’s authority over his own office. However, this is slowly seen to ebb away, as Johnson’s body language becomes less bouncy and more static. Max Roberts’s skilled directing embodies this expertly during a silent section of the play, in which Frank is sitting still, reading and Rita is fidgeting over an essay, drawing the audience’s attention towards Rita. Despite this, Jessica Johnson’s Liverpudlian accent did slip a few times, making it slightly harder to invest in her character. Willy Russell’s script was also uniquely interpreted by Stephen Tompkinson who reimagined a more sarcastic Frank, contrasting with Michael Caine’s kindly interpretation from the film adaptation. David Pugh, producer of Educating Rita, commented that both actors had a ‘good stab’ towards the multi-award winning film production but admitted that ‘trying to live up to the original production of that movie is so, so tough’. Nevertheless, Tompkinson’s reimagining of Frank certainly brings a new element to the relationship between Frank and Rita. One example of this is Frank’s admitting that he doesn’t like the theatre, whilst giving a slight look towards the audience, which makes the irony seem all the more comedic. Unique, passionate scenes seem full of energy (even during moments of tension), investing the audience in the narrative, as well as the comedy. These scenes are broken up with emotive transitions, where we can still see the actors (mostly Frank) walking around his office, reflecting on his latest meeting. We find ourselves going through the journey of both Frank and Rita’s lives, through their reactions to characters outside of the office, their developing body language and the short, energetic scenes, all adding to the onward drive of the production that adds to the sense of journey.
The excellent design of the production also adds to the development of both Frank’s and Rita’s characters. Frank’s dilapidated, tired office, mirrors his weary relationship with literature, shown through stacks of worn, broken books, organised in a messy fashion, between bottles of alcohol and slips of paper. However, this sense of weariness is confusingly contradicted by the apparent tidiness of the office, with files and paintings being well organised. The Pygmalion theme is expertly reflected in Rita’s use of Frank’s office. Jessica Johnson changes her use of chairs. She originally uses an upright chair most often, showing her keenness and thrill of learning but later on she begins to use a more relaxed armchair, displaying her confidence and that she has outgrown her teacher in many ways. Rita’s costume development through the play cleverly echoes her changing character.
The play itself wasn't the only thing on show that night, the Rose also put on a winning performance in keeping audience members safe. Masks had no effect on the enjoyment of the performance and the restrictions were so well managed by the Rose Theatre that it created an environment that felt completely safe, as well as stress free. One audience member described it as the ‘best managed Covid secure venue [she] could imagine and [she] felt totally safe and well looked after’ and ‘the management of the flow of people was such that there were no social distancing breaches at all’. David Pugh, the producer of the play, said that he was trying to prove that the theatre is a safe environment and that audiences ‘must come back [...] for the future of theatre’. Pre Ordered drinks were put by your seat before arrival, something that was easy and avoided queuing and may be something that the Rose could consider after restrictions are eased. Despite this and the grant given to theatres over lockdown, the Rose has been affected financially, taking donations from its #Rose Endures campaign in order to remain open. The capacity of the theatre, due to social distancing measures, was reduced from 850 to 306. Under normal circumstances, the producer, David Pugh, said he would expect around £160,000 but has only received £88,000 so far in the box office. In total, he said he would hope for £130,000 by the end of the two-and-a-half weeks, £30,000 less than what it could have been pre-lockdown. Because of these difficulties, he described this Covid secure production as a ‘gamble’ with a long term gain, bringing people back into theatres, hopefully securing the ‘future of theatre’. Because of the ‘stress free’ element to the production, it successfully offered both essential and much hoped for respite from the pandemic, making the production much more joyous; in the words of Robert O’Dowd, chief executive of the Rose, ‘masks muffle laughter, so turn the pitch up higher’.
Overall, the performances and design of the production invest you in the narrative and journey of the two characters and their relationships, making the comedy all the funnier. Educating Rita at the Rose offers the ‘hope’ (as producer David Pugh described it) that we’ve all been waiting for over lockdown. It also shows the importance of art and theatre in our lives, mirrored through Rita’s excitement, making it a must-see post-lockdown production and adding to the exhilaration of Willy Russell’s script. As David Pugh had hoped, Educating Rita at the Rose surely and excitingly serves as the audience’s ‘best night [since] March’.
