The History Boys – Milton Keynes Theatre

Writer: Alan Bennett

Director: Christopher Luscombe

Reviewer: Maggie Constable

The Public Reviews Rating:

Having recently seen “Enjoy” by the same dramatist at this theatre (and I certainly did enjoy it) and having watched the excellent film of the same name last year, I was not sure how I would feel about this Bennett production. HOWEVER, Milton Keynes Theatre has done it again!

Alan Bennett’s extremely popular play takes on issues such as anarchic adolescence, what history can teach us and the whole purpose of education, lofty themes which have much resonance for us today and which would not have been out of place on recent election manifestos! But his is more than a simple coming of age drama. It is also an allegory on Thatcherite values, as culture and knowledge for its own sake give way to the spin and the results/targets-driven society that we see today. As a teacher I can certainly relate to that last!

The action centres around 8 sixth-formers at a minor public school in the North who are aiming to apply for Oxbridge. Clever, funny, lively and loud, they’re as interested in sex, sport and other teenage activities as they are in quoting poetry and memorising dates. This is no “Dead Poets’ Society”, or is it?! Two very different teachers compete to win over their boys’ hearts and minds as the play follows their education as well as their “awakenings” and their preparation for Oxbridge..

Hilarious and provocative, The History Boys won Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle, South Bank Show, New York Drama Critics’ Circle and Tony Awards for Best New Play. This brand new production is directed with style and pace by Christopher Luscombe.

Lighting by Tim Mitchell is used to great effect and enhances the poignant scenes, particularly the one between Hector and Posner. The set, by Janet Bird, is simple yet really clever in the way it moves and changes our perspective, in more ways than one. The way in which the boys are used in the scene shifts is also very professional and discrete. Music, under the direction of Malcolm Mckee, is used to great advantage so that we get a real feel for the 1980s. The sound, by Mic Pool, is clear and the boys’ singing rang out superbly. Posner’s solo of “Bewitched, beguiled” …. is fabulous.

Ben Lambert as Irwin develops throughout the play and grows on you. He is subtle, if not understated in the first half but really comes to life in the second. Gerard Murphy is amazing as the ebullient, eccentric but at times pathetic Hector. In contrast to the banter and the endless cracking one-liners from the boys, who are all excellent in their roles, there are -as ever with Bennett- some very poignant moments, especially around Hector. Kyle Redmond-Jones as Dakin is spot on and Penelope Beaumont playing Mrs Lintott, a.k.a. “Totty”, is utterly believable and a good, strong female role played to great effect.

“The History Boys” is one of those rare plays which explore so much, giving us plenty upon which to cogitate, whilst making us roar with laughter and at times feel almost moved to tears. Alan Bennett has a way of making us laugh at people’s foibles at the same moment as he considers how our society has become what it is. The ending, for those who did not see the film, has a typical Bennett twist which is truly moving.

Whatever Alan Bennett may have to tell us about education and pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, you will leave this piece feeling you have certainly learned. We talked about it non-stop the whole way home. An excellent piece of theatre and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.