Educating Rita

Spark of Learning

Educating Rita

by Willy Russell

Reading Rep Productions at the Reading Rep Theatre until 21^st March

Review by Sam Martin

Few modern plays capture the relationship between education, class and identity with the wit and warmth of Educating Rita. In this vivid new production at Reading Rep Theatre, director Annie Kershaw refreshes Willy Russell’s enduring two-hander with clarity and compassion, allowing its humour and humanity to shine while retaining the sharp social observations that have kept the play relevant for more than four decades.

At its heart, the play is deceptively simple: a working-class hairdresser enrols in an Open University literature course and forms an unlikely partnership with her disillusioned tutor. Yet Russell’s writing explores something far more complex — the struggle to belong, the fear of change, and the liberating potential of education. Kershaw’s production handles these themes with a thoughtful balance, never overstating the divide between Rita and Frank but allowing the social and cultural contrasts between them to surface naturally through language, gesture and perspective.

The production cleverly underscores the play’s recurring references to “them” and “us”. At times these distinctions appear subtle, almost playful, woven into Rita’s observations about the academic world she is entering. At other moments they land with striking clarity, punctuating the dialogue and reminding the audience how deeply embedded ideas of class and belonging remain. Kershaw’s direction ensures that these contrasts never feel heavy-handed; instead they act as gentle but persistent reminders of the invisible structures shaping both characters’ lives.

The success of Educating Rita, however, always rests on the chemistry between its two performers, and here the pairing of Madelyn Smedley as Rita and Julius D’Silva as Frank proves a triumph. Smedley brings an immediate spark to the stage. Her Rita is lively, curious and refreshingly direct, delivered with impeccable comic timing and a warmth that makes her character’s hunger for knowledge both charming and deeply moving. From her first entrance, bursting into Frank’s book-lined office with infectious enthusiasm, Smedley establishes Rita as someone determined to reshape her life, even if she does not yet fully understand how.

Opposite her, D’Silva crafts a wonderfully layered Frank. Initially weary and cynical, he presents a tutor who has long since lost his belief in the academic system he inhabits. His dry wit lands with precision, and his interactions with Rita gradually reveal the vulnerability beneath Frank’s sardonic exterior. What is most compelling about D’Silva’s performance is the way Frank subtly begins to reawaken through his teaching. As Rita’s curiosity grows, so too does Frank’s own sense of purpose; the act of guiding her becomes the catalyst for his own rediscovery of literature, passion and possibility.

Together, Smedley and D’Silva form an engaging and dynamic partnership. Their exchanges crackle with humour, yet beneath the laughter lies a genuine emotional development that feels entirely believable. Both characters evolve warmly over the course of the play, and there is a palpable sense that, through their conversations about books, life and ambition, each begins to understand themselves more clearly. The interplay between teacher and student (a central feature of Russell’s script) is brought vividly to life here, with literature and lived experience constantly overlapping and informing one another.

Visually, the production supports these transformations with thoughtful design choices. Cara Evans’ set and costume design situates the action firmly within Frank’s academic world, yet the evolving costumes chart Rita’s journey with particular clarity. Early outfits feel layered and practical, almost protective, garments that reflect the life she is trying to move beyond. As the play progresses, those layers begin to peel away, reminiscent of the unpeeling of an onion, revealing a character slowly shedding expectations imposed by her marriage and background. Eventually Rita emerges with a strikingly different look, one that signals a newly discovered independence and confidence.

Beyond the personal journeys of Rita and Frank, the production also offers a quietly powerful reflection on education itself. Russell’s play questions whether traditional academic institutions genuinely nurture creativity or merely reward those already equipped to succeed within their rigid structures. In Kershaw’s hands, this critique feels particularly timely. Rita’s determination exposes the ways in which talent and curiosity can be overlooked or dismissed simply because of class background, while Frank’s cynicism highlights the complacency that sometimes exists within academia.

Yet the play never becomes cynical. Instead, Educating Rita remains life-affirming, celebrating the transformative potential of learning and the profound effect individuals can have on one another. By the final moments, both characters have changed irrevocably, not because one has shaped the other entirely, but because each has been brave enough to question who they are and who they might become.

This Reading Rep production captures that spirit beautifully. Witty, insightful and deeply human, it allows Russell’s beloved play to speak freshly to contemporary audiences while honouring the emotional truth at its core. Anchored by two finely judged performances and thoughtful direction, Educating Rita proves once again that the most meaningful education often takes place far beyond the pages of any book.

Sam Martin, March 2026

Photography by Harry Elletson