Critics enjoy Educating Rita despite a shaky start

Maxwell Cooter, Whatsonstage

★★★

"Director Michael Buffong's new production features an all-black cast, which is a worthwhile idea, though the execution leaves something to be desired"

"Henry's performance never really catches fire"

"it's worth seeing for Lynch's performance alone; she's a Rita for our times"

Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

★★★★

"Lashana Lynch, as Rita, is greatly affecting, though her Merseyside accent comes and goes a bit"

"Michael Buffong’s production is not without its own drawbacks. The pauses between the numerous scenes start to feel beyond episodic and not all of Rita’s costumes feel quite right"

"What a great story it is, celebrating intellectual excellence and shaming the laziness of those who have squandered privilege"

Dominic Maxwell, The Times

★★★

"there is a great performance lurking here once Henry completes his journey to accepting that Frank is there in him already"

"his co-star, Lashana Lynch, gives a propulsive, impressive turn as Rita, who goes from ignorant but free-thinking to emancipated"

"Never mind the wobbles, it’s a good show. It might yet become a terrific one"

Michael Billington, The Guardian

★★★

"Having stumbled at the start, Henry ended the evening looking totally assured. But Russell’s play really belongs to Rita and this production uncovers a potential star in Lashana Lynch"

"It’s a great role but, in some respects, Russell’s play has not aged well. Seeing it again, I was struck by the blatancy of its debt to Shaw’s Pygmalion"

"Michael Buffong, who runs Talawa theatre company, directs with cool clarity"

Claire Allfree, Daily Telegraph

★★★

"A muted Henry recovered his footing to see through the first act before fully finding his stride in Act II"

"By casting two black actors, Michael Buffong’s production subtly modernises a play while delighting, mainly through Lynch’s eye-stingingly bright wardrobe, in its 1980s setting"

Educating Rita runs at the Minerva Theatre in Chichester until 25 July 2015.