THE HISTORY BOYS at the Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★

“an enjoyable and important revival of a play that has become a modern classic”

Alan Bennett’s much-loved play celebrates the 20th anniversary of its National Theatre first performance with a new production and a national tour (Director Seán Linnen). The period is firmly established from the outset with walk-in music made up of 1980s bangers – Soft Cell, The Human League, Pet Shop Boys – and we hear more of this throughout the show (Sound Designer Russell Ditchfield).

The set (Grace Smart) is the outside of a grim grey building – Cutlers’ Grammar School for Boys, Sheffield – which when it revolves will let us into a classroom laid out with plain square tables and the ugliest red plastic, stackable chairs.

A line-up of eight boys enters performing rather nicely a close harmony, doo-wop number before breaking into their schoolboy characters. Music is an important part of this production (Musical Director Eamonn O’Dwyer), some of it embedded into the plot, at other times as entr’acte music during scene changes. The onus in the solo numbers falls on the vulnerable, questioning character of Posner (Lewis Cornay). Cornay’s made in heaven harmonies soar above the ensemble and his solo performance of Rodgers & Hart’s ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ is truly beautiful. Not forgetting Yazdan Qafouri as Scripps playing the piano quite brilliantly too.

The plot centres on the differing teaching methods of the nearing-retirement Hector (Simon Rouse) and the newbie Irwin (Bill Milner) as they coach the eight sixth formers towards their Oxbridge entrance exams. But the importance of the play and the main interest lies in the developments of each character. Being teenagers, conversation revolves much around sex and we hear a blow-by-blow account of Dakin’s (Archie Christoph-Allen) conquest of the school secretary. But there is also common knowledge of Hector’s fondness for fondling the private parts of his pupils whilst they ride pillion on his motorbike home from school. Despite this being a period piece, the casual acceptance by the boys that this is acceptable behaviour, makes me extremely uncomfortable. It takes the words of the only female teacher Mrs Lintott (Gillian Bevan) – “a grope is still a grope” – to voice out loud that what Hector is doing is wrong. Bevan’s no-nonsense approach to the role allows us to believe that she alone is the wise one amongst the school staff. The Headmaster best described by Mrs Lintott as “a twat” is played perfectly in this manner by Milo Twomey – approaching Basil Fawlty levels of hysteria when roused.

Two important intimate scenes: Posner looks for solace from Hector and Dakin’s attempt to mislead Irwin lack the necessary poignancy for full effect. It is the schoolboy ensemble that is most impressive – the natural chatter between classes and the laddish hijinks – and Timms (Teddy Hinde) stands out of the crowd with just the right amount of cheek and arrogance. A showstopper number of Stand and Deliver despite a lot of banging, stamping and chair-fighting lacks sufficient punch (Movement Director Chi-San Howard). Amplification of the singing might help.

The biggest laugh of the night comes from Rudge’s (Ned Costello) assertion that “History is just one fucking thing after another” claimed with a down to earthiness that, after nearly three hours on stage, this feels just about right.

This is an enjoyable and important revival of a play that has become a modern classic but at times, the highs don’t quite reach high enough and the emotional parts don’t quite reach deep enough.

THE HISTORY BOYS at the Cambridge Arts Theatre then UK tour continues

Reviewed on 1st October 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Marc Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE | ★★★ | September 2024

CLUEDO 2: THE NEXT CHAPTER | ★★ | March 2024

MOTHER GOOSE | ★★★★ | December 2023

FAITH HEALER | ★★★ | October 2023

A VOYAGE AROUND MY FATHER | ★★★ | October 2023

FRANKENSTEIN | ★★★★ | October 2023

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION | ★★★ | March 2023

THE HOMECOMING | ★★★★★ | April 2022

ANIMAL FARM | ★★★★ | February 2022

ALADDIN | ★★★★ | December 2021

THE HISTORY BOYS

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★★★

“Gray O’Brien with his languid movement and rugged good looks gives a towering performance”

Co-writers Sir Ian Rankin and Simon Reade bring a new Rebus story to the stage. The deliberately claustrophobic-looking set (Terry Parsons) is a traditional dining room with a large table centre stage and two doors leading out, left and right, which stay almost permanently closed. The walls are crammed with framed oil paintings, all individually lit. A surfeit of table and wall lamps and a suspended chandelier exude a luscious creaminess (lighting Matthew Eagland). We are at the wine and whisky stage of an impressive dinner party and the guests have been playing a murder-mystery game. Clues are discussed and hypotheses shared. We hear mentions of ‘motive, method and means’ and it’s all delightfully intriguing. Director Loveday Ingram skilfully moves her actors around the stage, seating them in different ways to provide some variety within a fundamentally static setting.

I confess to never having read a Rebus novel or seen him on TV so I might have missed expected nuances inherent in his character, but Gray O’Brien with his languid movement and rugged good looks gives a towering performance of the newly retired police detective. Initially, he spends much of the time at a distance from the other guests, prowling in the background, observing. He breaks the fourth wall to speak to the audience of his ability to ‘read the room’, the trilling of his Scottish burr a joy to the ears.

There is a lot of backstory to get through before we can have the thrill of piecing together who might have it in for whom but there is no kitsch, the script is well-written, and there are some genuinely amusing one-liners. But this back story is predominantly concerned with characters we never see and it becomes an effort to follow. Just as in the murder-mystery game the dinner guests play, the initial excitement wears away and the truth, when it comes, is somewhat underwhelming.

The ensemble cast does what it can but all the characters bar Rebus don’t have much to work on and everyone generally underplays. There’s some uncertainty within the ensemble too, particularly at the start of the second act that stuttered in this performance, but it will all gain in fluency once the run (and UK tour) has established.

The party hostess Harriet (Teresa Banham) is almost transparent in the first act but comes to life in the second with a fine burst of nervous energy. Her husband Paul (Neil McKinven) rather goes the other way, showing fine bonhomie at the start before withdrawing from the later affray. Most regrettably, for the role could be a fine one, is Billy Hartman (Jack Fleming), a casino owner with a shady past but the performance lacks the flamboyance that might be expected from such a character. Then there is Billy’s trophy girlfriend Candida (Jade Kennedy) who, as a supposedly superficial ‘social influencer’, shines out above the mediocrity around her; and, lastly, former lawyer Stephanie Jeffries (Abigail Thaw) isn’t given much to say for herself but does a fine look of indignation and disgust.

With Ian Rankin co-writing, this seems like a missed opportunity for creating something better than an average whodunnit but the central role of John Rebus just about saves the play.

THE HISTORY BOYS at the Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★

“an enjoyable and important revival of a play that has become a modern classic”

THE HISTORY BOYS at the Cambridge Arts Theatre then UK tour continues

Reviewed on 1st October 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Marc Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE HISTORY BOYS

THE HISTORY BOYS

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE at the Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★

“Gray O’Brien with his languid movement and rugged good looks gives a towering performance”

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE at the Cambridge Arts Theatre followed by UK tour

Reviewed on 2nd September 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Nobby Clark

Previously reviewed at this venue:

REBUS

REBUS