Educating Rita

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For the film adaptation, see Educating Rita (film).

Educating Rita is an award-winning stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of a university lecturer.

Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Educating Rita premièred at The Warehouse, London, in June 1980 starring Julie Walters and Mark Kingston. The play was directed by Mike Ockrent.

In 1983, Russell adapted the play for the screen.

[edit] Plot summary

Educating Rita is a play that focuses on Susan White, a twenty six-year-old woman working as a hairdresser who signs up for an Open University course because she is eager to learn and discover what the educated life style has to offer. Susan White initially calls herself Rita in the play. The play opens as Rita meets her tutor, Frank for the first time. Dr Frank Bryant is an unsuccessful middle-aged academic with a drinking problem who has no experience in teaching working-class students but who took on the projects to pay for his drink. Eventually, Rita's desire to become educated leads to her being shunned by the working class and eventually she becomes accepted by the erudite classes. When Frank realises the change that has taken place in Rita's personality he likens himself to Mary Shelley, saying he has created 'Frankenstein'. The reader here sympathises with Frank's character as we feel that Rita is no longer the humble woman that originally walked into Frank's office and has become pompous and arrogant. Eventually, Rita realises that she has changed for the worse and she apologises to Frank, ending the play on a happy note.

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The film of Educating Rita, along with many others, has the same plotline as the greek myth, Pygmalion. The story of pygmalion has an arrogant man, who eventually finds a women which is suitable. The Pygmalion myth is basically women seeking motivation to change. The same storyline is applied to Educating Rita. Other examples of the pygmalion myth, in recent movies include My Fair Lady, Million Dollar Baby, Pretty Women, Princess Diaries, 10 Things I hate about You, Shes all That, Cinderella, MeanGirls and Pygmalion. Other movies which challenge the Stereotype are Billy Madison, Iron Man, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Billy Eliot, and Liar Liar. As well as Boyz in the Hood.

[edit] See also