Educating Rita

The Ensemble Theatre on Sydney’s north shore lays claim to being the country’s longest, continuously running professional theatre company, thanks to a very healthy base of subscribers. It’s built up this loyalty with seasons of largely conventional plays rather than radical ideas. Educating Rita, which it’s staged a number of times before,is among such conventional works: a 1980 British comedy with just two actors in a two-act narrative. It’s a stimulating rather than shocking play but, in this case at least, it’s one the Ensemble does very well.

Catherine McGraffin plays Rita, a Liverpudlian hairdresser who has decided to educate herself in poetry and literature through an Open University course. Mark Kilmurry is Rita’s tutor Frank, a grouchy academic with a fondness for whiskey. In Frank’s stale world, Rita is a breath of fresh air.

Kilmurry, who also directs, stepped in to play Frank at the last minute. He does so with understated flair – the role feels as comfortable on him as the cardigan he wears. At first, it appears he might even outshine McGraffin but the younger actress grows into her role. In every moment, her Rita is believable. You can see why Frank is so charmed.

Kilmurry’s direction is sharp, with the dialogue drawing constant laughs, but it’s more accomplished in the comic rather than dramatic moments. There is room for improvement in the second act, where both characters speak freely of their vulnerabilities but rarely show us them.

This is admittedly a problem with the play. By the second half, there are few surprises: the audience is by now completely aware of how each character regards the other and the ending is slightly disappointing.

Still, Educating Rita remains engaging throughout. Willy Russell (who also wrote Shirley Valentine and the musical Blood Brothers) has become so popular not just because of his sparkling dialogue but also the things he has to say.

Access to education is just as important and still as problematic now as it was 30 years ago. This production remains set in the 1980s but it could easily be set in Liverpool – perhaps even the suburb of Sydney – today.

This production doesn’t just prove the staying power of Russell, though; it highlights the strength of the Ensemble. This theatre is rarely cutting-edge but it is consistent, particularly in the strength of its acting. It knows its audience and again fulfils expectations.

There are flaws, but this is a fine production of a fine play.

Peter Gotting

Photographer: Clare Hawley