Educating Rita at the Kings Theatre, Southsea REVIEW: 'A very impressive show in every respect'

That Willy Russell’s good, isn’t he?
Stephen Tomkinson as Frank and Jessica Johnson as Rita in Educating Rita. Photo by Robert Day.Stephen Tomkinson as Frank and Jessica Johnson as Rita in Educating Rita. Photo by Robert Day.
Stephen Tomkinson as Frank and Jessica Johnson as Rita in Educating Rita. Photo by Robert Day.

Educating Rita is now, terrifyingly, 40 years old, and the current tour has stopped off at the Kings this week.

It’s a very impressive show, too, in every respect; cast, direction, setting.

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Rita is a working-class Liverpudlian hairdresser who wants, indeed is almost driven to better her education. Frank is her English Literature tutor and Russell’s play traces the rise of one and the fall of the other – as Rita becomes more and more entranced with literature and learning and Frank becomes more and more disillusioned with just about everything and slides into alcoholism.

At one point, Rita questions why Chekhov’s plays are referred to as comedies, when they are full of human suffering. The same question could equally be applied to this work of Russell’s. Real human pain lives in this play and the comedy works to hone the tragedy – just as in Chekhov.

Jessica Johnson as the eponymous student captures Rita’s thirst and excitement for knowledge wonderfully. Occasionally, just occasionally the Scouse accent masks Russell’s dialogue and meaning is lost, but the transformation from knowledge-hungry beginner to, almost, her lecturer’s equal is beautifully observed and played.

Stephen Tomkinson as the alcoholic Frank declines admirably; his pain as he watches his student grow and become the thing he doesn’t want her to become is tangible. In Frank, pride and jealousy collide horribly and Tomkinson’s portrayal is layered and subtle and is, perversely, both agonising and very easy to watch.

Unlike Chekhov, the resolution is not tragic. It is, however, satisfying and the show is definitely worth a viewing.

Until Saturday.

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