By Stephanie Niciu

Educating Rita is one of Willy Russell’s most enduring and much-loved plays. In 1983, a film adaption was released starring Julia Walters as Rita and was nominated for three Oscars. The current revival at the Playhouse is directed by Gemma Bodinetz and stars Leanne Best and Con O’Neill.

This is the story of a working class young woman, Susan ‘Rita’ White who attends an Open University course under the tutelage of Dr Frank Bryant. Frank is a man who has lost himself and his purpose in life. He’s an alcoholic who knocks back glasses of Scotch to evade his problems.

Rita tells Frank that she wants to know ‘Everything’ but is aware that there is a lot to learn. Designer Colin Murphy’s crescent-shaped set is spectacular and makes this prospect both equally daunting and exciting. The office consists of a huge wall of books, so that both characters are surrounded by knowledge.

From the beginning, we see that Rita is bursting with enthusiasm and eager to change her life. She’s loud, feisty, confident and tells it like it is. Best’s portrayal of her instantly grabs your attention. Throughout the performance it is nearly impossible to draw your eyes away from Rita. As the story progresses, you come to realise that Rita may not be academic but she is highly emotionally intelligent. Best’s comic timing is impeccable but when Rita is serious about the struggles she’s faced in life, due to her lack of education, you can’t help but be moved. Best strikes the balance perfectly. However, it is difficult not to feel like her performance overshadows that of O’Neil’s as Frank, especially in the first half.

But saying this, there could be a particular reason that Bodinetz chose O’Neil’s character to be this way. After all, he is there to teach Rita and offer his guidance to her, so you might just expect him to take more of a background role. By the second half, O’Neil’s performance becomes more prominent, as Rita no longer needs Frank, he unravels and turns to his trusted Scotch to numb the pain. It’s at this point, where you begin to connect much more with his suffering. Frank doesn’t know who he is anymore and with sadness, you accept along with him that he doesn’t even care.

One of Educating Rita’s most significant themes is change: what that means for us as people and whether it can really be achieved. For Bodinetz, the emphasis is placed much more on the growth of the characters, suggesting that no matter how hard we try or what we do, we can’t fundamentally change who we are. We can grow but we always should remember the importance and value of staying true to ourselves.

This play is hilarious, heart-warming and touching. It is a wonderful piece of theatre and one that is not to be missed.

Pics: Stephen Vaughan

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