History Major

Last night I checked out the Broadway play, The History Boys, written by the very smart, very funny and very prolific Alan Bennett. He’s written about 20 plays, tons of TV and film scripts (including Prick Up Your Ears and The Madness of King George III) and his latest play is downright fab. Go see it if you wanna see a very intelligent and witty play about teachers, their male students, the pressures of academia and getting into a good school (in this case, Cambridge or Oxford), how we think, how we learn and what’s really valuable.

It’s very comfy/cozy. It’s hard not to be charmed by a play about prep school boys in their perfectly tousled ties and blazers—especially when one of them is openly (and hilariously) gay. The guys are cute, the teachers are sharp (and pretty gay too), and there are cool video bumpers between scenes boasting fun New-Wavey music (think Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Madness). It’s very funny, and only gets overly twee at the very end. It’s just opened to rave reviews, so snatch your tickets now.

Standouts in the cast include Richard Griffiths (of the Harry Potter films and the 1987 indie gem Withnail & I) as a grope-happy old poofter teacher, Samuel Barnett as the scrawny gay student, Dominic Cooper as the heartthrob and Russell Tovey as the thick-headed jock who’s brighter than he lets on.

If you really love the show, you can follow the cast across 44th Street after the show. They tend to hang out drinking at Angus McIndoe restaurant. Last night we also spied indie film starlet Jena Malone (Saved!, Donnie Darko) there, too.

But check out The History Boys. Heck, even your parents would love it. And frankly, your grandparents (Be warned: Last night the crowd was truly ancient; the line for the men’s room at intermission was like a death march. So, so, soooo old.).

And yes, a movie's been made of the play (with most of the cast you'll be seeing on Broadway). Look for it later this year.

P.S. Rufus Wainright loved the show. Here’s a pic of him on opening night goofing with cast member James Corden. Cheers, mates!

Comments

[Markster]

Didn't the way they tried to make the gay pedophile teacher all nice and cosy bother you one little bit.

I saw the play in London and I thought Alan Bennett had written an unpleasant piece of self loathing.

[bob]

According to an interview I saw w/ Richard Griffiths, the character's not a pedophile ... the boys are 18.