In ‘Educating Rita’ there are two acts. In the first act there are eight scenes and there are seven scenes in the second, fifteen altogether. This whole book is over a one year period and Frank and Rita are the only two spoken characters in the play. The scene is set at the Open University inside Frank’s office in England. This is effective because it shows you how the characters change but the setting will always stay the same. It shows the change more effectively. Frank’s office is very dark, there are a lot of books against the wall, a large bay window and a large painting Rita describes as “erotic.”
At the beginning of the scene Frank is on the phone arguing with his young girlfriend Julia. He knows he has Rita coming but decides he cannot be bothered to teach her and just wants to go to the pub. This shows Frank likes to drink and he has had enough of working for the Open University. His life is hot very enjoyable and maybe drinking alcohol takes all the boredom away. Rita bursts in to Frank’s office, boisterously and unexpectedly by swinging the door open. She is extremely loquacious the minute she enters the office, not intimidated by Frank. You know Rita is different when she asks Frank “ Do you get a lot of students like me?” and he replies “Not exactly, no…” Frank is the opposite of Rita and does not want to teach her, as she could be a handful.
Rita talks in her colloquialisms “Y’know, it’s dead loud” and has a working class liverpudlian accent. She does not try to impress Frank when she is introduced to him. Rita discusses random topics with Frank is trying to explain to her, especially when she is first meets Frank and tends to get confused at some of the things Frank is trying to explain to her, he says “you are?” Rita replies, “What am I?” Not knowing what Frank is intending. Frank thinks Rita is mad but amusing at the same time. He tells her “ I think you’re marvelous.” Although he refuses to teach her. Rita will not take no for an answer. Rita’s excited about taking this course and wants to be able to show everyone that she can become educated and do well in life. Rita feels that she is not as intelligent as other people but she believes in herself. Rita tells Frank she wants to know everything.
Willy Russell was born in Whiston, Liverpool in 1947. He left school in 1962 and trained as a teacher in 1970. In 1972 a drama group preformed his first play at Edinburgh’s fringe festival. From then onwards Russell produced a lot for television. 1983 was a big year for Russell; he released ‘Educating Rita’ as a film and was awarded a honary MA by the Open University. In 1980 ‘Educating Rita’ won the west end best comedy award.
Russell relates to Rita because he to was uneducated since he left school but decided to learn when he was older. Russell became a writer so he was able to achieve something out of his education. Willy Russell was born in Liverpool and Rita is from Liverpool. I think Willy Russell is trying to clarify that although both him and Rita come from a working class background and both of them left school early. It does not mean you cannot be as educated and have as good as jobs as middle and upper class people. Rita demonstrates this throughout ‘Educating Rita’.
When the reader meets the new Rita in Act 2 scene 1, she enters differently. Rita is very excited about new experiences she has had over the summer holiday. She also has a new image and when she enters Frank’s office “she twirls to show off her new look.” Frank is glad to see Rita again. “What is this vision, returning from the city?” He states as she walks in. They are reunited in his office and Rita continues to burst through the door. Frank is typing up poetry and smoking when Rita enters in Act 2 while in Act 1 he was on the phone to Julia and searching for alcohol. He has become more dedicated to work in Act 2, probably due to Rita’s encouragement. Rita seems delighted with her new second hand clothes and feels a lot more confident with her new image.
Rita still talks in the same dialect. She says in Act 2 “ Y’know at first I was dead scared” So she has not changed in this area. Rita has conversations with Frank about her holiday to London and the people she met, she is exhilarated now and she feels she fits in more. She wants to socialize with other students but Frank is very unsociable and makes excuses not to go out and sit with the other students. He is like a vampire; he sits in a dark room with the curtains drawn and refuses to go outside where there is light. Unlike vampires Frank will not turn to dust if the sunrays touch him. Frank lies to Rita by saying “ Like Dracula, I have an aversion to sunlight.” Frank’s window will not open as he has been in a dark office for so long. “It hasn’t been opened for generations,” Frank explains to Rita. At the end of Act 2 scene 1 Rita uses higher vocabulary words and recites a poem by William Blake. She explains the Frank how they covered Blake at summer school and Frank is a bit shocked but also disappointed that he cannot teach her Blake. Frank thinks more of Rita than just her tutor and friend, he has stronger feelings for Rita but she does not notice at all.
Rita and Frank have become closer; the audience knows Frank has feelings for Rita although she does not. Rita’s change in Character makes her more exciting and willing, but Frank seemed to like her better in Act 1 scene 1. Rita sees Frank as someone she an share things with in Act 1 but in Act 2 scene 1 she does not tell him she has a new flat mate or some other new things happening in her life.