A status-driven headmaster of an undistinguished school hopes seven of his seniors can make it to Oxford or Cambridge.
- The History Boys Globe Theatre Thursday, May 29
Intellectually sophisticated and gleefully bright, they owe their erudition to Hector, an eccentric teacher nearing retirement whose largely unfocused teaching emphasises learning for its own sake.
In contrast, enter Irwin, a beginning teacher, thinks it's all about glib superficiality, passing exams, getting noticed and eventually making money. Alan Bennett's The History Boys is one of the best and most popular of this century's new British plays.
Its themes are education (is it just about getting jobs?) and history (what is truth, and does it matter?).
It celebrates the roles of culture and the arts, the power of the incisive and analytical mind, and the development of confident, mature adults. The Globe's production, directed by Keith Scott, continues the theatre's recent run of exceptionally good productions.
The capable, 11-strong cast performs with exuberance, fluid movement and great timing. Especially memorable, and very funny, is a scene where a French lesson rapidly turns into a French farce.
Special mention must be made of Oscar Macdonald as the cheerfully, perversely religious Scripps; Globe newcomer Jo Secher as slow-developing, moony Posner; and Denise Casey as Mrs Lintott, a coolly cynical history teacher and the play's only woman.
In a week in which the earnings prospects for New Zealand arts graduates have been revealed to be poor, and the tertiary education minister has encouraged young people to prefer science and maths because of higher salary expectations, The History Boys provides a different and more humanistic perspective.
Thursday night's capacity audience loved it. The play has language and content unsuitable for children and younger teenagers. For everyone else, I recommend it.
- Reviewed by Barbara Frame
