The History Boys

Wyndham’s Theatre
Tuesday 27th February 2007. 7.30pm. Evening Performance

What’s it about?
Set in an unspecified northern grammar school in the 1980s. Alan Bennett’s The History Boys is the tale of eight students and their experiences in preparation for taking the Oxbridge qualification exams.

What’s good?
Simon Cox’s recreation of Nicholas Hytner’s original play is as flawless as if Hytner himself were still directing it. Having the enormous reputation of the original to live up to, the actors all do splendid jobs, seeming as though they were each born to play the parts that they are portraying. With Bennett’s modern classic of a script flowing perfectly from scene to scene. Steven Webb’s Ponser and Orlando Wells’ Irwin standing out particularly from an exemplary cast.

What’s bad?
Although the play is a practically perfect example of great theatre, it has to be noted that Stephen Moore is unable to hold the same amount of disparity that Richard Griffiths bought to the role of the infamous Hector (A performance for which Griffiths won both a Olivier and a Tony for best actor)

Overall
The current revival of The History Boys can barely be faulted, it is clearly in my opinion a modern classic in the making, and one which will be around in the west end for a very long time, bridging the generations in a society where exam pressures are all to real of a concern for the young, during a time when they should really just be having fun learning.