At last, I am the right age to play Frank...
STEPHEN TOMPKINSON AND JESSICA JOHNSON TELL MARION McMULLEN , WHY THERE IS NO STOPPING EDUCATING RITA
You are back on tour again with Educating Rita. Was it tough when Covid brought the 40th anniversary tour to a halt?
Jess: We managed to play at the Minack outdoor theatre in Cornwall last year between lockdowns. It was quite magical. (Laughs) We were upstaged by double rainbows, dolphins and two named storms, but it was great to be able to do it.
We were in Blackpool when the first lockdown hit. We were expecting an announcement from Boris, but no-one was sure how long all this was all going to last. It really was like something from a film and went on much longer than anyone anticipated, but it’s very exciting to be back now.
I’m a bit nervous as well. It feels like when I started in the industry. It’s like being a 16-year-old girl again.
Stephen: It’s been a little bit frustrating with the stopping and starting of it all. I felt we’ve let people down a bit who have re-booked two or even three times. but it’s so nice to be finishing the tour off.
It’s been tough with reports of theatres closing and people being made redundant. It’s been awful for people backstage, front of house and audiences as well.
I think this is the longest I’ve stayed on a production. It’s a show that means a great deal to me. I’ve been reading it since my teens and at last I’m the right age to play Open University lecturer Frank.
It’s a joy to do and Jess is wonderful as hairdresser Rita.
You are a couple in real life. What has it been like spending lockdowns together?
Jess: I bought myself a piano, imagining I would be able to learn how to play. (Laughs) I haven’t. It’s much harder than I thought.
I have done some Open University courses though and I’ve been reading lots of amazing plays. I’ve also being filming ITV’s Vera as well and I’m a poet and I’ve been doing poetry with young people.
Theatre has been a massive part of my life, it’s my social life as well as my job, and I’m very excited to see people again. Stephen: We’re very fortunate to have a bit of a garden, and we are by the sea. It’s a 10-minute walk and you are on the north east coast at Whitley Bay. I might also be blowing my own trumpet, but my baking skills have increased as well.
I bought lots of spices and herbs at Christmas and I have been experimenting. I follow recipes and then I go off piste a little so my recipes can never be repeated. They are for one night only.
When did you both get the acting bug?
(at the Minack outdoor theatre)... we were upstaged by double rainbows, dolphins and two storms
Jessica Johnson
Jess: I was really athletic when I was young and ran with the Harriers and was a long distance runner. I was going to go into the army, but theatre has been in my life for a long time. My parents ran guest houses and actors would stay and I started going to the theatre a lot when I was 13 or 14. I was bitten by the bug and that was it. I’ve never waivered. I love it so much. In fact, I probably owe a lot to Educating Rita. A teacher gave me it to read for an audition.
Stephen: All the parts I’ve played in different parts of my life have been my favourites. I still love radio and that was my first job – being with the BBC drama department on a seven-month contract. I did 54 plays in that time and it was the best start.
Then I did Drop The Dead Donkey and Brassed Off. Director Mark Herman’s poignant script was a subject close to my heart. I didn’t think 21 years later we would be at the Royal Albert Hall showing it on a big screen having the band playing below. There is talk of going back to do it again.
Educating Rita is a great comedy drama to welcome people back into the theatre. Has it stood the test of time?
Jess: It’s perfect. You can have a few cocktails and come and see a really good play. We’ve been going through the lines again and muscle memory does kick in.
You say something and you start to move the way you did on stage.
Stephen: We were lucky, we had writer Willy Russell with us for the first half of every week during rehearsals and that was invaluable. Willy is both Frank and Rita.
He worked as a hairdresser, then went back into education later in life and became a teacher.
There’s a line when Rita calls Frank a geriatric hippy so I’ve let my hair grow during lockdowns. I’ve never had it this long before, but it’s right for playing Frank.
There are just the two of us on stage for the play and one cheeky reviewer said ‘Stephen Tompkinson is on stage all the time, but Jessica Johnson goes off for a rest’. What he didn’t realise is she has 14 costume changes during the play. Poor Jess. No chance of a rest.
Go to educatingrita.co.uk for tour and ticket details.