Educating Rita

Educating Rita is a profoundly moving, yet hilarious two-hander, made famous by the 1983 film starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Frank is a tenured university professor. He has agreed to tutor to make some extra money "to pay for the drink," which he frequently indulges. He is bored and dissatisfied with his life, questioning the value of being an "appalling" teacher to "appalling" students. "Rita" is a hairdresser from a working class background. She has no formal education and wishes to ‘find herself ‘before having children with her husband Denny, so has signed up for an Open University course. Finding her real name, Susan, too dull, she chooses to call herself Rita after American feminist writer Rita Mae Brown. Each of the two has a profound effect on the other. Frank finds Rita to be a breath of fresh air, relishing her blunt, intuitive response to both life and literature. As Rita gains more knowledge and understanding, so her self-worth and confidence grow. Since its first appearance in 1980, Educating Rita has gone on to become a modern classic, constantly in production throughout the world. It is both laugh out loud funny and a serious look at the pitfall and highs of discovering who you really are. This much-loved piece by Willy Russell will be directed by the Award Winning Elizabeth Holland, who is known for her acclaimed Shakespeare productions here at the Hippodrome.