Review: Educating Rita At The Trafalgar Studios
Friday 30th July, 3.22pm
A comic, yet sensitive approach to Willy Russell’s marvellous play, Educating Rita at the Trafalgar Studios is a delight to watch.
A gem of British theatre, Educating Rita is the story of a feisty Liverpudlian hairdresser Rita (Laura Dos Santos) and her tutor Frank (Tim Piggott-Smith). Determined to break away from the conventional expectations of her tight-knit community, Rita sees education as an escape from a monotonous life. Her renewed interest in learning introduces her to Frank, her highly-intellectual but alcohol-dependent teacher, and a complex relationship begins.
Laura Dos Santos and Tim Piggott-Smith star in Educating Rita
The success of the play relies significantly on the interaction between Rita and Frank and it was the strong chemistry between Laura Dos Santos and Tim Piggott-Smith that allowed the show to be both believable and enjoyable. Trafalgar Studios 1 was also an ideally intimate setting for a show which is rich in dialogue and relies on highlighting the minutiae of the characters’ relationship.
Dos Santos perfectly captured the gutsy and forthright attitude of Rita, the working-class girl with a desire to change. She portrayed the character with a confidence that lit up the theatre and managed to find the perfect balance between sentiment and wit.
Rita’s character develops significantly throughout the play, from brash but likable wife of Denny to educated and single student, and Dos Santos communicates all Rita’s colours with ease.
Tim Piggott-Smith was also great in the role of Frank, a middle-aged professor who falls for Rita’s flamboyant and strong-willed personality. He managed to capture Frank’s strong feeling’s for Rita in an extremely genuine way and endeared himself to the audience. A talented actor, Piggott-Smith had the ability to portray sentiment as well as wit and it was a comic sight to see Frank bumbling around on stage trying to remember behind which book he had hidden a bottle of scotch.
The script is a very interesting one, as it draws attention to many social injustices. While Rita, a working-class Scouser longs to be educated, Frank, a middle-class scholar appears desperately unhappy and drinks to mask his frustrations with life. Although Rita longs for Frank’s knowledge — she even changed her name in honour of Rita Mae Brown the author of her favorite novel, Ruby Fruit Jungle — Frank is fearful to teach her believing that generic education will strip away her unique personality.
Is the grass always greener? The play surmises through Rita that it is the element of choice that is important and people should not be tied down or stereotyped as one thing.
The set is of Frank’s office displaying a wall-length shelf of books as well as a whole range of literature scattered around his desk and in every corner of the room. It does not change throughout the entire production, with only the occasional costume change bringing anything new to the eye.
The play is deliberately intense and at times you wish the scenery would change. However, the whole play centres around Rita’s feelings of being trapped and desire for education, so the office setting is perfect. Russell’s stories do not require elaborate scenery but it is the dialogue that is the main focus and in the play in was superb.
Educating Rita is an entertaining and extremely fascinating play that manages to discuss social issues while remaining comical and upbeat. Book to enjoy the Willy Russell’s Educating Rita at the Trafalgar Studios.
As part of the Willy Russell season, Trafalgar Studios are also showing Shirley Valentine. Read our Shirley Valentine review here.
