"The History Boys"

So, as a contrast to my rather personal last post, I'll get back to the general purpose of this blog, which is to document my experiences, cultural and otherwise, in New York.

Having heard really great things about The History Boys, a recent play by Alan Bennett, which had played at the National Theatre of Great Britain, I decided I would buy tickets, particularly because I'm trying to familiarize myself with straight plays and this one is widely considered one of the best around and a definite Tony contender (always a thought at the back of my mind).

Anyway, I've been plagued by allergies lately, and, sitting in the theatre before the play was to begin, I suddenly had the onset of some kind of eye allergy the likes of which I've never experienced to such extents before. It kind of bothered me for most of the first act, but by the second act it seemed my eyes had adjusted for the most part. Another thing that I'd heard was that the seats in the front row (where I was, because of a really great student rush policy at the Broadhurst Theatre -- the ticket was only $26.25) obstruct your view of a lot of the classroom scenes. This ended up only very rarely being problematic -- just when the actors were leaning relatively far back in their seats.

Anyway, the play was absolutely great. Having just seen The Lieutenant of Inishmore last week, I'm not really sure which one I enjoyed better, but both are most definitely deserving of Tony nominations. The History Boys tells the story of 8 young men who are history students preparing for their college exams and the conflict within the school between the headmaster, who would rather strictly prepare the boys for their exams, and Hector, the boys' primary teacher, who would rather prepare the boys for life through helping them achieve a love of literature. As Hector, Richard Griffiths (known to most as Uncle Dursley in the Harry Potter films) turns in the best performance of the cast as an older teacher struggling with what he's made of his life. Dominic Cooper as Dakin and Samuel Barnett as Posner put in equally sensitive portrayals of students in their adolescence questioning everything and trying to find their way.

It's a play that's really relevant to today; my teachers in high school complained about things like this all the time -- how they have to teach specifically toward the aim of standardized tests when they'd rather teach us what they think would be most useful. A subplot about sexual abuse and about a troubled young gay student add interest and provide for some of the most interesting moments.

The scene in the play that spoke most to me was at the end of the first act, when Hector meets privately with Posner to speak about a poem the class has just learned from Irwin, a teacher who's just been brought in to gear the curriculum more towards their standardized tests (scene is pictured at left -- Barnett at left and Griffiths at right). They exchange some of the most beautiful lines I've ever heard in a play about how, sometimes, when you read something, you find validation for something that you've thought was unique to you, even if the author is long dead or far away. It's not a unique concept by any stretch of the imagination, but it's Alan Bennett's way with words that really lifts up the piece and makes it something unique.

Also notable where the interesting sets, with sliding walls that shifted seamlessly to set the scene, the entertaining Breafast Club-esque projected movies at the back of the stage that smooted the scene transitions, and the great '80s music that was also played between scenes that helped set the time period.

Overall, it was just a really great play. There's nothing bad of note to be said about it.