Breezeblock Park is set on a northern council estate and takes a look at the suffocating effect of possessions and possessiveness: "Trenchantly observed…hilarious, upsetting and somewhat seditious." (Variety); Our Day Out is about a school coach trip, an exuberant celebration of the joys and agonies of growing up - "a Dickensian fairytale…I have rarely seen a show that combined such warmth and such bleakness."(The Times); Stags and Hens "takes place in the gents and Ladies loos of a tacky Liverpool club, where Dave and Linda have decided, unbeknownst to each other to hold their stag and hen parties…a bleakly funny and perceptive study of working-class misogyny, puritanism and waste" (Guardian); Educating Rita: "one way of describing Educating Rita would be to say that it was about the meaning of education…another would be to say that it was about the meaning of life. A third, that it is a cross between Pygmalion and Lucky Jim. A fourth, that it is simply a marvellous play, painfully funny and passionately serious: a hilarious social documentary; a fairy-tale with a quizzical, half-happy ending." (Sunday Times)
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The highlight of this volume of Russell plays is the full script for his first international hit, Educating Rita, about a young cockney woman who, Pygmalion-like, comes under the tutelage of an upper-class professor. In Russell's play, however, it is the stuffy professor who finds his life forever changed by the encounter with the brash, vital young Rita. This, along with the three early Russell plays Breezeblock Park, Our Day Out (including sheet music for songs) and Stags and Hens, shows not only his mastery of the speech patterns of the British lower middle class, but also a colossal sympathy for their concerns, hopes, and dreams--which he went on to explore with such phenomenal success in Shirley Valentine and Blood Brothers.
About the Author
Born near Liverpool he left school at 15. One of Britain's most successful playwrights his most famous play, Blood Brothers, continues to run in London. Shirley Valentine and Educating Rita have also been turned into hugely successful films.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educating Rita,
By A Customer
This review is from: Russell Plays: 1: Breezeblock Park; Our Day Out; Stags and Hens; Educating Rita (Vol 1) (Paperback)
I have just directed a production of Educating Rita and would like to thank the many people who put reviews on Amazon.com. Learning how others viewed the play was of great assistance and sent cast and director in interesting directions.As to the play itself, if you want to study a modern play which is positively enhanced by critical analysis, I highly recommend Educating Rita. A great read, but even more enjoyable when given life by actors - a fabulous play!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Educating Rita,
By Lucy (Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Russell Plays: 1: Breezeblock Park; Our Day Out; Stags and Hens; Educating Rita (Vol 1) (Paperback)
Educating Rita is a really funny play. It's humour is only subtle, but the inuendo between Frank and Rita the two main characters is quite obvious. I guess what makes it funny is seeing how these two very different people interact with each other. And Rita, well she's just hilarious...and rude!
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT DRAMA: Read it or weep!,
By Christian Stenta (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Russell Plays: 1: Breezeblock Park; Our Day Out; Stags and Hens; Educating Rita (Vol 1) (Paperback)
I just read Educating Rita as a part of my SACE Stage 1. Not only was it funny and imagineative but full of drama and suspense, I COULDN'T OUT IT DOWN! This would have to be one of Russell's finest plays!
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