A play which has been heralded as a masterpiece of comedy and pathos is the next production from Wheathampstead Dramatic Society.
Educating Rita is regarded as Willy Russell’s funniest work, exploring the ebb and flow of a relationship between Rita, a new Open University student, and Frank, her brilliant but unorthodox tutor.
The two-hander – the first time the dramatic society has taken on that kind of challenge – is set in the 1980s, a time of turmoil and change. Susan White, or Rita, as she prefers to be called at the beginning of the play, is a member of the ‘industrial working class’ trying to better herself. Frank on the other hand, is a well educated English Literature lecturer who once had aspirations to be a poet.
Director Steve Leadbetter had nothing but praise for his cast: “Our Rita has been working very hard on her Scouse accent and Frank has been taking lots of tips on how to play a disillusioned drunk. They are an excellent, if slightly volatile, combination.”
Educating Rita is being performed at 8pm from next Thursday, October 17, to Saturday, October 19, at Marford Hall, Wheathampstead. Tickets are available at the Manor Pharmacy, on the website, www.wheathampsteaddramaticsociety.co.uk or by phoning 01582 621357.
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