The History Boys

It’s just over ten years old but it feels as if Alan Bennett's ‘The History Boys’ has been around for decades.

Eight Oxbridge candidates prep for interview and each of the lads have personality aplenty. Their two teachers compete to impose their values - one is Joe Cramsie’s blustery clown Hector, for whom learning is its own pleasure, whether useful or not. The other is Irwin (Jay Hollows), a recent graduate recruited to boost admissions by coaching the boys to argue the unarguable.

Striking as rather ironic, Hector is renowned for memorising and reciting quotes of literature which he uses to interpret, explore and make sense of a situation. I particularly admire that Hector admits to not understanding what many of the quotes actually mean and explains that “one day you will”, storing a filing cabinets worth of quotes in his mind to use as remedies whenever he needs to take joy or comfort in them. The irony here is in the memorising part, it may have been one of those formidable performances which every actor dreads, layered with reoccurring memory lapses left right and centre - or Joe simply hadn’t thoroughly learnt his lines. I really do hope it’s not the latter but I can’t deny that it was hard to tell, especially when – during one scene – he was reading his lines from a note pad. Anyone can forgive the occasional memory slip, we’re only human after all. Now, to be fair, maybe Joe had stepped into the production with very little time to go and if so, then this would be highly creditable but if not, failing to learn lines must be the most insulting and ultimate discredit to your audience and fellow cast members, when partaking in a play, surely it’s the very least you can do.

This piece is set during Margaret Thatcher’s Britain but the only clue of that is the music that we hear in-between some of the scenes, everything else about the play suggests as though it is (or could be) set now, it may as well have been. If the presentation is set in the 80’s then a couple of the boys should have perhaps indulged in hairstyles of the time and donned the odd accessory to suggest as much, particularly Dakin who’d naturally be the trendiest of the troupe.  

Irwin is central here and Jay Hollows delivers a calm, relaxed and effortless act. We could have afforded to experience a more enthusiastic energy and spark from him, particularly during the exciting debates with the boys during lessons though in a space so intimate as the Nomads Club House he could just about get away with how he played it down.

Grainne Wiggan has such a charismatic quality, she oozes a natural and commanding presence in every performance she gives and is wholly convincing in whatever part she embarks and this performance as Head of History, Dorothy Lintott was no exception.   

Pace is something to be constantly aware of when presenting this play, more so than many others. The ensemble of boys are a well-crafted assembly whose delivery is tight with dialogue that bounces around the classroom set. I was impressed with the recruitment of these lads as these parts are more often played by actors who’re considerably older (mid-twenties or thereabouts), it was refreshing to see lads of a sixth form age fill these parts and with such a degree of competence too.

Rudge is the dark horse of the piece and very nicely undertaken by Laurence Barber. George Murrays Posner was vulnerable and likable, he had the audience on his side and although it didn’t come as a surprise when he announced his sexuality, I’m glad the feminine tendencies were kept relatively minimised offering an unforced and sensitive rendition.

I must commend Thomas Derbyshire though for what skill I’m not entirely sure, if he was actually playing the electric piano – well done, but if he was miming it  – well done, I genuinely couldn’t tell.

Dakin – the hormonal and sex mad stud of the school – had a standoffish quality, he was cool with an air of intimidation about him which worked. More of a genuine and savoured moment between Dakin and Posner in act II would have executed a more appropriate result here, this is one of those moments that can be approached from several different angles and with Jacob Boyle’s Dakin as intimidating does work here and communicates as patronising but flopping himself onto Poster the way he did with a heartless slouch was rather awkward and subsequently missed the whole purpose of why this instance is in the script.    

Barbara Turner had taken on the challenge to guide this production to performance as the plays director. Some elements of the production weren’t quite prepared for public airing but her boys were a triumph and certainly did her proud.

This is a modern classic. The script remains strong, sharp, funny, political and moving.

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