کم پیش میاد بعد خوندن یک متن دچار نئشگی حاکی از داستان بشم اما امروز واقعاً این حس بهم دست داد... امروز تو مترو داشتم این نمایشنامه رو می‌خوندم و وقتی به ایستگاه رسیدم به قدری مجذوب متن بودم که رو نیمکت‌های ایستگاه نشستم و تا آخر نمایشنامه رو خوندم... چقدر می‌شه یه نمایشنامه خوب باشه! انقدر این نمایشنامه به دلم نشسته که دوست ندارم از لحاظ فنی بهش نگاه کنم اما به خاطر پروژه دانشگاه مجبور به این کار هستم.
دو روز پیش که شروع به خوندن نمایشنامه کردم شخصیت ریتا به شدت به دلم نشست... یه دختر خاکی، شیطون، شیفته‌ی این‌که کسی بشه واسه خودش و تقریباً عامه! از اون طرف فرانک یه استاد بدعنق الکلی و بی‌حوصله بود... اما به جرأت می‌تونم بگم از پرده‌ی دوم فرانک تبدیل به شخصیت محبوب من شد... بعد از خوندن این نمایشنامه خوشحالم که به دور و بر خودم نگاه می‌کنم و یه فرانک و یه ریتا تو زندگی‌م پیدا می‌کنم. ( )

Fantastic in the beginning, somewhat less fantastic, but still quite good, in the middle, and rather disappointing in the end. Still, a fun read and an entertaining play. ( )

Interesting enough and rather pleasing.

The first use of 'damning with faint praise' in English is usually attributed to Alexander Pope (1688-1744), in 'An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot'. The sentence 'If I have seen further than others it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants' is however never ascribed to Pope despite his having been very short. Nor did Pope write 'whatever is, is right'. That was Milton.

From the book jacket: Hairdresser Rita feels that life has passed her by. She wants an education. But does Frank have anything to teach her?

My reactions:
Yes, Frank does have something to teach Rita, but she also teaches him. I love watching Rita grow and change throughout this play. I’ve never seen the play performed, nor did I watch the movie, though I remember it being quite popular back in the early 1980s. I knew the basic premise, however was still delighted to watch it unfold.

Rita is a marvelous character. Witty, and forthright. She does not suffer fools gladly, though t the outset she lacks confidence. She feel “less than” due to a lack of education, and envies the students on the university campus their lifestyle. Rita is not sure what she wants out of life, but she knows she wants more, and she sees education as a means to give her more options.

Frank is a perfect foe … a professor and has-been poet, who has more interest in the contents of the whiskey bottles than the contents of the books that line his office shelves, and behind which he stashes the drink. He’s cynical and has taken this special student only for the money.

But Frank sees something in Rita that sparks his interest. She’s so eager to learn, and he is forced to examine his own thoughts on books and literature and poetry and life based on her questions (and answers). He recognizes in her the spark of desire, and she kindles that spark in him. No, I don’t mean sexual desire … I mean that desire to live, to experience life fully, to learn new things, not because we need them for a job or a career, but because we simply want to live more fully. Rita isn’t certain what path she will choose, but she knows that, thanks to Frank, she now has more choices. ( )

My favourite play. Funny and tender. Showing how education opens doors, and closes others. A two-hander between Rita and her hard-drinking tutor, Frank. Wonderful. As much fun to read and see again. ( )