Minack Theatre is a unique venue, perched on the cliffside near Lands End in Cornwall. Its global reputation has grown since its creator Rowena Cade first set out to create the setting in 1932 with over 250,000 annual visitors to the site until COVID closed all UK theatres in March. So it was wonderful to visit it for the first time to see David Pugh's production of Willy Russell's brilliant comedy Educating Rita about a kooky Liverpudlian woman, Rita, seeking to improve herself by discovering the joys of poetry, books and plays under the tutelage of ageing alcoholic tutor, Frank. On tour when the pandemic shut indoor theatres it became one of the first titles to open again in an outdoor venue as soon as the restrictions lifted it easily broke box office records as the public rushed to enjoy both the return to live theatre and to experience the spectacular setting.
When you are guided to the socially distanced seating with cushion in hand an hour before the start time with a wary eye on the clouds overhead in case the threatened rain starts to fall you immediately begin to sense the dramatic theatrical location. The waves from the Atlantic crash on to the rocks that form the backdrop to the small stage with the cliffs and sand of Porthcurno bay in the distance and an occasional seagull overhead it is magical and must have been perfect for its first production of The Tempest. However, the same backdrop is a little distracting for the much more intimate story set in a university lecturers small office and present the two actors with a constant challenge of the wind blowing their long hair and the pages of the books they are studying.
