EDUCATING RITA To 14 November.

Newbury.

EDUCATING RITA
by Willy Russell.

Watermill (West Berkshire Playhouse) To 14 November 2009.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm except 14 Nov 1.30pm and 6.30pm.
BSL Signed 26 Oct.
Runs 2hr 10min One interval.

TICKETS: 01635 46044.
www.watermill.org.uk
Review: Mark Courtice 15 October 2009.

Perennial favourite.
Willy Russell's story of 26 year old Rita who joins the Open University because she believes life has more to offer than cutting hair and having babies, and her initially unwilling tutor Frank (who is convinced that life has no more to offer than the view through the bottom of a whisky bottle) has been a staple of theatre schedules for 20 years.

Audiences like it because there are two interesting and feisty characters, and then there’s Russell's skill with telling lines and good jokes.

Of course it's also a two hander with one set which can be dressed from a second hand bookshop, so it's popular with theatre accountants as well.

But because the whole interest in this odd-couple pairing is in the characters, it is a challenge too. They only meet in Frank's book-lined study, and the play is written in a series of short scenes. The dynamic of their growing relationship is chopped up and while Russell's skill provides fun, sparky dialogue and political argument, it still leaves the actors with a lot to do. Here both actors seize on one aspect of each character in response.

Tim Bentinck as Frank is boozy and bearish, all crumpled jacket and trousers, as a minor poet turned academic should be. His low-key approach makes Frank a miserable old soul, better at the lack of enthusiasm for the whole business of teaching than the excitement that the relationship with Rita might mean.

It’s Claire Lams‘ voice as Rita, her Liverpool accent harsh and driven, which seems to define her performance. The Scouse works for the chippy jokes, but is less successful emotionally. However, there is fun in her short attempt at middle-class before she realizes that education is about choices not pronunciation.

Jamie Glover’s production is careful, static and unsurprising. In the book-lined setting of Andrew D Edwards’ academic study the actors tend to find one of the three seats and sit down on it, each scene ends with a crashing blackout, some classical music and lights up on another entrance, doing little to inject flow into Russell’s episodic play.

Frank Tim Bentinck.
Rita Claire Lams.

Director Jamie Glover.
Design Andrew D Edwards.
Lighting Mike Robertson.

2009-10-18 14:39:55