Educating Rita 1st October 2026, Curve Leicester
Educating Rita was first performed in the early 1980s at the start of Thatcher’s premiership, when the thought of studying at university was one few working class people could contemplate. Willy Russell’s take on the Pygmalion story gained critical acclaim on its West End debut and an award-winning film adaptation starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine soon followed. One might think that a play first performed when degree-level education was still predominantly for the privileged few would feel outdated and irrelevant, yet this new production directed by Cara Nolan is fresh and engaging.
The action takes place in the study of academic and sometime poet Frank (Dominic Mafham) whose love of booze has forced him to take on evening tutorials for the Open University to subsidise his habitual drinking. He is allocated the chatty and outspoken Rita (Alexandra Mardell), an assumed name chosen in honour of the author of Rubyfruit Jungle, a novel she holds in high esteem. Despite Frank’s initial reluctance to tutor Rita, he is quickly mesmerised by her spirit of determination to better herself and ‘sing a new song’. Undeterred by her tendency towards subjectivity and sentimentality, Rita perseveres in her studies despite objections from a husband who wants her to be a “proper” wife and mother, and a community that is resistant to change.
As Frank, Mafham captures the essence of a man held back by his own failure and disappointment. In describing to Rita the self-fulfilling nature of the tragedy of Macbeth, he is also outlining his own inevitable downfall. As Rita flourishes and discovers her own voice and mind, her enthusiasm and drive become unbearable for Frank to witness. Mafham’s delivery is at times a little hesitant and a reluctance to make eye contact with Mardell’s Rita, though possibly a character choice, adds to a sense of uncertainty in his performance.
As Rita, Mardell is so captivating one might believe the script was written with her in mind. As she paces Frank’s study, not a single word is wasted as she makes Russell’s memorable lines her own. Underneath her witty retorts and wide-eyed fascination, Rita’s vulnerability is exposed in Mardell’s at times heartbreaking portrayal.
The set designed by Michael Taylor nestles a stuffy study within concrete beams that echo the juxtaposition of Frank’s jaded sophistication and Rita’s coarseness. Taylor’s costumes are the perfect accompaniment to Rita’s transformation from brash hairdresser to self-assured academic, and even her changing hairstyles (Cynthia De La Rosa) become more refined as she fulfils her wish to find herself.
This revival of Educating Rita will continue to delight audiences at Curve Leicester until 17th October. Alexandra Mardell’s outstanding performance is worth the ticket price alone.
