September means the theatre season begins again, and Persephone Theatre is starting off with a comedy that many may already know and love.
Educating Rita, the British comedy by playwright Willy Russell, will kick off the new Persephone Theatre season this month. Many in the audience may know the story already from the 1983 film based on the play, starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters.
“Because it was made into quite a well-known movie, I think this is a show that people have some fond memories of,” said performer Liz Whitbread, who stars as the titular character in the Persephone production of the show. “I’m excited for those people to see a different version of that story they love.”
A two-hander, Whitbread and Sean Hoy play the characters of Rita and Frank respectively. The story follows Rita, a Liverpool hairdresser who signs up for an Open University course to pursue higher education. She encounters the alcoholic professor Frank, and the two butt heads and learn from each other as their separate worlds are brought together.
Whitbread called the character of Rita a “firecracker,” and said the quick pace of the play and the dialogue would be delightful for the audience.
“There’s the part of the relationship between Rita and Frank where they find they make each other laugh…they form a very genuine friendship,” she said. “The show moves really quickly. It’s two people on stage having conversations and trading barbs. These are two really smart characters, so things move at a clip. As an audience member, I find that thrilling.”
The entire play takes place in the confines of Frank’s office, and Whitbread lauded the work of set designer Jawon Kang and the construction team at Persephone Theatre for creating something she called “stunning” out of a straightforward premise.
Whitebread said there are parts of the play that won’t be relatable to today’s audience–it’s set in in a different country, a different time and will feature two characters with decidedly different accents from your average Canadian.
But she said the core of the play is a timeless story that will delight viewers–the arc of two different-but-not-so-different people finding joy in each other through their differences is a story that never loses its charm.
The show offers charm for those who have seen the four-decades-old movie, but Whitbread said it adds lots of new elements as well.
Witty, funny, and fun–Whitbread said the show captures some beautiful moments in the quirky storytelling that captures important ideas for the audience today.
“When you see characters who seem to be fundamentally too different to relate to one another, but they are able to find things to relate to each other about, I find stories like that bring me hope,” she said. “Through conversation, through empathy, through asking questions, these characters are able to know one another in a really genuine way and change each other. That feeling is relatable for an audience.”
Educating Rita runs until Oct. 5 at the Remai Arts Centre. Tickets can be purchased online at persephonetheatre.org.
