Review: Alan Bennett’s The History Boys at Nottingham Theatre Royal
It is now 20 years since Alan Bennett’s The History Boys had its premiere and it is still giving a masterclass in drama.
To mark the milestone anniversary, the play has been revived by director Sean Linnen and is at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, until Saturday.
And although set in a 1980s Sheffield comprehensive the themes and subjects it tackles are still hugely relevant today.
Eight unruly teenagers have received the best A-level results their school has ever received and have returned to the classroom in a bid to pass exams for Oxford and Cambridge.
They are clearly bright - easily quoting poetry and prose and speaking fluent French - but nerds they are not. These typical teenage boys are obsessed with sport, sex and banter.
But at the heart of the production is their relationships with their teachers and the influence they have on them. Hector is the aging maverick English teacher; Irwin a supply teacher full of soundbites; Felix is the headmaster obsessed with league tables; and straight-talking traditional Mrs Lintott who thinks her colleagues are all fools.
And by the end - who is learning from who?
At the heart of it is Alan Bennett’s wonderful script, the story being told in that instantly recognisable poetic style that brings the characters the life and makes you care about each and every one of them - even when their most unpleasant traits are being revealed.
But the script wouldn’t be anything without the actors and this production is high calibre, especially when you consider many of the young cast are making their professional debuts.
The whole production is slick - from the set changes to the music linking the scenes. It is also long - at nearly three hours with the interval. However, it is testament to the whole production that it felt nowhere near as long as that.
Over the past 20 years The History Boys has won numerous awards, had West End and Broadway runs, national and international productions, and been adapted into a film. Having seen it, it isn’t hard to see why.
This is a classic that will continue to deliver its lesson for many terms to come.