The students of Cutler's Grammar School in northern England are getting a lot of conflicting information. First there's Irwin, the young, newly hired teacher, who thinks he knows all the tricks to get them to pass the test. Then there's Hector, the older, gregarious, inspirational instructor who makes a stand for culture and knowledge for knowledge's sake. And finally, Mrs. Lintott, who has dragged her students through their studies with just "plainly stated and organized facts." Which teacher has it right? Such is the primary conflict of Alan Bennett's Tony Award-winning play, "The History Boys."
This production, directed by Nick Bowling, is an absolute must-see for so many reasons. Laced with humor and honesty, the play examines such issues as education, ideals, beliefs and sexual identity. It outshines the Broadway version because of its intimate staging, its truthful, layered characterizations and attention to the most minute details. Study Irwin's body language as Dakin (skillfully played by Joel Gross) challenges his teacher's authority. Share Posner's (brilliant newcomer Alex Weisman) angst as he copes with a love he neither understands nor shares. Observe the individuality of the students' dorm rooms, uniforms and even the graffiti carved in their desks.
When the house opens the play has already begun; as you enter you find yourself passing through the boys' living quarters where they are studying, listening to music or just being teenagers. The theater's alley seating draws the audience onto the perimeter of the classroom (never more than a few feet from the actors) allowing everyone to feel like part of the student body. Suspended from the ceiling, two large screens embellish the story with Mike Tutaj's artistically executed videos and projections. And this Chicago cast is exceptional. The educators - cautious go-getter Irwin (Andrew Carter), Hector the humanitarian (Donald Brearley), bare facts Mrs. Lintott (Ann Wakefield) and Terry Hamilton as a Headmaster driven by demand for high test scores - give voice to Bennett's educational views. But ultimately it is Bowling's superbly cast students who work both individually and as an ensemble, breathing life into these extraordinary, unforgettable history boys.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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