MM Theater Blog

Studio Theatre's production of Alan Bennett's Tony Award winning play The History Boys is a lively, entertaining look at the lives of eight British school boys preparing for the exam to gain acceptance into Oxford or Cambridge in 1983.

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Contained almost entirely inside the walls of Cutlers Grammar School in Sheffield England, Mr. Bennett's play contrasts the teaching styles of the veteran General Studies teacher Hector (sensitively played by DC veteran actor Floyd King) with newcomer Irwin, who has been brought in to prepare the boys for the formidable Oxbridge exam. Rounding out the teaching staff is History teacher Mrs. Lintott, played with humor and compassion by Tana Hicken.

On the one hand, Hector wants to give the boys a foundation for life through poetry, singing, acting out scenes from films, and even role playing in French. He views examinations as "the enemy of education". On the other hand, Irwin's only goal is to prepare the boys to perform well on the exam, focusing not on the rightness or truth of an answer, but on the cleverness with which an argument is constructed. Though these disparate styles of teaching seem to be at odds, a common ground emerges over the course of the play.

Woven together with the classroom antics are the stories of the various characters -- sexually focused Dakin, religiously focused Scripps, sensitive Posner who is questioning his own sexuality, closeted Irwin, flamboyant Hector, and feminist Mrs. Lintott. The play delves into the relationships between the characters, and raises many questions about how to quantify what makes a good teacher. Mrs. Lintott offers some nice comic relief in one of her feminist speeches, when she laments about the difficulty of teaching history, which she views as "500 years of male ineptitude".

It is a treat to see Tana Hicken again -- a 14-year resident actor with Arena Stage -- whose presence has been scarce in the Washington area theater scene in recent years. Floyd King gives a strong performance, deftly combining his comedic flare with dramatic poignancy. Simon Kendall gives a nice turn as the young Irwin, who Scripps points out "is just a few minutes older than us". The actors who play the 8 students bring a lot of energy, sincerity, and humor to the play. Of particular note are the three actors who are at the center of the drama -- Jay Sullivan as Dakin, Owen Scott as Posner, and Ben Diskant as Scripps. James Slaughter rounds out the cast as the headmaster. And though he approaches this role in a similar style to many other roles he has played, it works well in this production.

Founding Artistic Director Joy Zinoman directs this play with a level hand, revealing pathos, compassion, and humor. Designer Russell Metheny has chosen to set up the classroom scenes on the ground floor of the theater, with the teacher's desk raised several steps up on the actual stage, as if on a podium. Presumably it was designed this way to elevate the teachers in stature above the students. However, sitting in the audience, it made it difficult to see all that went on with the students below. And it also made some of the stage movements a little awkward, as the actors who played the teachers had to continually walk up and down steps as they paced the classroom. This was a small flaw in an otherwise very engaging play.

After the Broadway production garnered a record 6 Tony awards in 2005, the original Broadway cast went on to star in the film version of the play in 2006, also penned by Alan Bennett. Not surprisingly, the stage version is strikingly similar to the film version, with the exception of some epilogue scenes, told here in flash-forward style. The producers of the film were wise to leave these scenes out, as they do not really add anything to the overall drama, and in fact reveal a little too much about the characters' future.

All in all, a fascinating, multi-faceted drama, with much humor woven throughout.

MM Rating - * * * *