Photo Flash: Huntington Theatre Co Presents EDUCATING RITA

For the Huntington, Aitken last staged the pre-Broadway, Tony Award-winning American premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. In Educating Rita Andrew Long (The Misanthrope Off Broadway) plays Frank and Jane Pfitsch (Company, John Doyle's Broadway revival) plays Rita. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Educating Rita was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, premiered in London in the summer of 1980, and was adapted into a film in 1983, which starred Julie Walters and Sir Michael Caine.

In Educating Rita, Rita, a brash, young hairdresser with a free spirit, is hungry to improve her lot in life. When she enrolls at the local university, she discovers a passion for literature and turns her boozy and burnt-out professor's life upside down in this award-winning comedy. "I am so happy to be returning to the Huntington with Educating Rita, a showcase for the actors and a quirky homage to the Pygmalion story," says Aitken. "If you think you saw it when you saw the film, think again." "Rediscovering Educating Rita was a delight," says Artistic Director Peter DuBois. "I found the play as intelligent, surprising, and funny as ever - its warmth and sense of self-discovery radiates. In a city celebrated for its centers of learning, I expect the play to pop with particular meaning."