The History Boys

By Derek - 25th Oct 2004

The craft of Alan Bennett provides a well-made play which makes us question our politics and prejudices yet still come out humming the tunes. The History Boys tells a familiar tale of a charismatic teacher who is more interested in his boys than he should be. This is simply an opportunity for Bennett to put modern political values to the question. The best thing is that it is very funny!

Presented mainly in flashback, we see the old guard teaching staff confronted by a meretricious new teacher (Bennett delights in making this an erudite evening) who is parachuted in by a shallow headmaster to improve success in achieving Oxbridge scholarships. Caught in between, the boys struggle with the claims of truth against presentation - or as we might recognise, honesty against spin. In his later role, the new teacher Irwin, (Stephen Campbell Moore), is “not in politics, but in government.” The confrontation between Irwin and Posner over revelations in the press is not developed as a strand of the plot, but works as a brief reference to society’s current values.

The design is the one element which disappointed me. Bob Crowley has created a credible school, but without consideration for the audience at the sides of the stalls. The sightlines are not good. The school lights strung low cut the height of the stage to give a feeling of claustrophobia yet allow video footage to be projected behind them during scene changes. These add to the sense of school life.

The performances are excellent. Each boy is a rounded character although some have little to do or say. They are not delicate little flowers who need protection but knowing young adults who collude in being touched up. Dominic Cooper is a delightful, vicious, manipulative innocent as Dakin. Samuel Barnett (Posner) skilfully presents a vulnerable, frustrated boy with flashes of hope and charm. It comes as no surprise that he is the non-achiever. James Corden (Timms) shows a variety of talents as key narrator.

Frances De La Tour (Mrs Lintott) relishes her part as the only woman in the production and delights in including the audience in her wry observations. Richard Griffiths (Hector) convinces as a teacher striving to be a memorable influence on the boys, never recognising that his touching them in appreciation should not be acceptable.

What could be a story which we have all heard before is presented as a challenging treatment of contemporary values, daring us to judge Hector when his victims never do. As Rudge (Russell Tovey) puts it, we are completing the circle (while he mimes drawing a square).

Derek Benfield