In Rita’s Liverpudlian vernacular: that were bleedin’ marvellous, like.

In Frank’s more reflective appraisal: Educating Rita by the Talking Scarlet theatre company is a complex drama of subtle shifts of power between a cynical sorcerer and his sassy apprentice.

Willy Russell’s celebrated story was filmed in 1983 but the cinema version was bludgeoned with stars, external sets and extra cast.

Stage Rita and Frank, alone with an alphabetical library, telephone and whisky bottles, carry the action, allowing greater focus on character and definition without distraction.

Brian Capron’s Frank is an incredible portrayal of a vulnerable, gifted poet who seeks articulate comfort in drink. Although he loves Jennifer Daley’s unvarnished Rita, he almost kills her natural intelligence to conform with the demands of academic outcomes.

The charm and fun of Russell’s play presents dateless themes, 30 years on: the choices that confront women, the pressures on men and the life-changing possibilities of education.

The two actors swing brilliantly between comedy and pathos, even if Rita’s development into a more sophisticated persona is never entirely convincing. Capron’s journey is shorter, but more intense.