The
Willy Russell play Educating Rita obviously came to the public's
attention with the movie staring Michael Caine and Julie Walters,
and probably because of this exposure is still very popular today
as the almost capacity audience will testify to.
This
production by R F Theatre Company was a reminder as to how good a
play it is, as long as the two main characters of Frank, Oliver
Gately and Rita, Helena Osbourne are strong enough for their roles.
This
was certainly the case with this production, and the magic of
Russell's pen was exploited to the full.
All
positive so far, but, given the poor sight lines in the venue
there was too much ‘low level action’ that was missed by all
except the front two rows and I' m sorry, although Frank sounded
right, he was barely older than an undergraduate himself, so a lot
of his world weariness did not ring true.
However, this aside, it is an excellent
production and one well worth checking out, just be sure to arrive
early, and sit in the front row so not to miss any of the action.
****
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