‘Rita’ a Poor Choice for Theater’s First Production

Professional theater at the 500-seat level is rare in Los Angeles County, and professional theater of any size is rare in the South Bay, so the opening of the new South Bay Playhouse series at the 500-seat Hermosa Civic Theatre is a promising development.

But the selection of “Educating Rita” as the first production is perverse.

It’s a glaring example of the kind of play that was better as a movie. If you’re trying to educate people about the excitement of leaving the VCR, skipping a night at the multiplex and savoring a uniquely theatrical experience, “Educating Rita” is not a good idea.

Willy Russell’s script traces the literature tutoring of a 26-year-old English hairdresser (Alexandra Boyd) by a besotted, uninspired university professor (Mark Capri). She’s hoping to pass a test that will lead to . . . well, despite her driven quality, she has no clear goal. She just wants to leave behind her cruel, low-class husband and milieu and make something substantive of her life.

Her teacher, Frank, is Mr. Disillusionment. He becomes concerned that educating Rita well enough so she can pass the big exam will rob her of distinctive qualities that he finds attractive. Still, the occasional hints of romance between the two don’t amount to much.

Capri’s performance as Frank doesn’t amount to much, either. He’s stiff and lugubrious throughout much of the play, simply becoming more so near the end. Capri’s look--he has a square jaw that would be ideal for the role of Superman--is out of sync with this character, who’s so deeply in the dumps.

Rita’s arc is all too schematic. Boyd goes through her paces well, but they’re predictable.

Unfortunately, in this two-character version, we see no one else--not Rita’s husband, her colleagues at the beauty shop, Frank’s live-in girlfriend, any of the other students or teachers. The texture and drama they would add is sorely missed.

The play is also bogged down by its structure--a parade of short scenes, between which Rita must change into a series of new outfits. Her wardrobe (the design of which is curiously uncredited in the program) is very detailed in delineating her evolution. Yet her frequent offstage costume changes inevitably depress the pacing of Calvin Remsberg’s staging. During most of the breaks between scenes, Frank sits in the dark onstage, while incidental music tries in vain to keep up the momentum.

When the South Bay Playhouse was announced last spring, the series was to have begun with “Greater Tuna”--not a great play, but one that shrewdly uses the theatrical experience in a way that would be hard to match on screen. The substitution of “Educating Rita” was a step in the wrong direction.

* “Educating Rita,” Hermosa Civic Theatre, Pier Avenue at Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach. Tuesday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $30. (310) 372-4477. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.