One of the fun things about seeing live theater, especially live theater from a troupe that is on the rise, is the discussions theatergoers have after the curtain falls and the parking lots empty. Such was the case with Educating Rita. The reoccurring refrain from those discussions about this show is that it was as if the old school Tacoma Actors Guild was back in action. Professional theater has truly returned to Tacoma. Steve Manning nailed the role of Frank, and Casi Wikerson, well, she always serves up a performance worth remembering.



The show announced that Theatre Northwest Group is not just the formal replacement theater of the now-defunct TAG heritage but its legitimate heir apparent. Everything about this show seemed top notch. I was about to check my odometer, because about 45-minutes into the show, I felt as if I was watching a show at Seattle’s ACT or Fifth Avenue.



The two-person show is simple on the surface. Rita is a hairdresser who seeks knowledge and finds herself under the training of Dr. Frank Bryant, a middle-aged University professor who tutors her through class.



Toss in some discussions about the meaning of life and the universal truths about the human condition, and the play takes on a depth that is rarely seen these days. What makes the show work is its complete perfection. Manning, an Actors Equity member well known in the South Sound, brings his best with a performance filled with nuance and complexity. Wilkerson, a veteran theater pillar in her own right, fills her portrayal of Rita with great moments that define her with depth and realism. The sets and effects play well into showing the passage of time as the play marches through the school year from September 1979 to one week before Christmas the following year, when the duo realize that their lives have changed after meeting each other so otherwise randomly.



While the show has a short run in Tacoma, it will certainly spark interest in more the theater has to offer. And well it should. This is a theater production that is far beyond what many had expected the theater to stage. But here it is. TNG has announced its presence with authority as the premiere theater of Tacoma by staging these actors in this show.



[Theatre on the Square, through May 30, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, $22-$34, 915 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890]