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Theatre listings > The History Boys. - Tour. The original production premiered at The National Theatre, London on 18 May 2004 with Richard Griffiths as Hector and Frances de la Tour as Mrs Lintott.
Recreated by - Simon Cox. Designer - Bob Crowley. Lighting Designer - Mark Henderson. Music - Richard Sisson. Sound Designer - Colin Pink. Video Director - Ben Taylor. Company - National Theatre London Company Website. Cast - here . 2005 Tour Dates and Times - here . Seen to review at Theatre Royal Glasgow on 15 November 2005. Run Time - 2hours 30 mins including interval. Reviewer - Jay Dee. A joy to watch. I will always remember my school history teacher. Her name was Mrs Matthews and she was truly inspirational. She had that rare gift of both a passion for her subject and the ability to communicate that passion to her students. Her teaching has stayed with me and marked me. The power that such people have to influence young minds is just one of the themes explored in Alan Bennett's The History Boys, currently playing at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. The play deals with a group of young boys preparing to take the entrance exam to study history at Oxbridge, and with the teachers whose job it is to guide them. Beautifully written, the play manages to be complicated and challenging as well as tender and even tragic. Hector, a flawed hero - worshipped by his students, a teacher of the old school is contrasted with Irwin, the flash youngster whose teachings generally involve subverting whatever question is asked until it fits the (not always relevant) knowledge that you have. The acting in this production is uniformly superb. It is inspiring to see a cast so wholly committed to a play. Desmond Barrit, as Hector, gives a performance full of nuance and subtlety, engendering sympathy for a man whose behaviour towards young boys is not always appropriate. Among the younger members of the cast the standout is Steven Webb, whose troubled homosexual teenager is played with warmth and a delicate touch and includes some rather lovely singing. The production is cleverly designed by Bob Crowley - four flats are moved fluidly around the stage to create classrooms and cloakrooms and staffrooms. Scene changes are covered by video footage of the characters, a device which for me sounded the only weak note of the production - the video doesn't seem to progress as the play does, images are repeated and more than once I found my attention straying from the video to the scurrying figures moving the set. This was a small thing and didn't detract from what is an excellent piece of theatre and one that is a joy to watch, being both funny and thought provoking. See it where and while you can. ©Jay Dee 15 November 2005, published on EdinburghGuide.com Text - The text is published by Faber (who also publishes many of Alan Bennett's other plays and writings) and is available from them and good bookshops. Wee Note from Thelma Good Theatre Editor - This play reminded me when I saw it at the Thursday matinee in Glasgow that theatre can make audiences feel their collective mind. Those around, young, old and inbetween, groaned with the hurt of his accuracy and laughed too at Bennett's shafts at the present hand cart we seem to be riding in. This play was produced by the National Theatre based in London, our own National Theatre of Scotland's first season in 2006 (Programme) contains plays which promise political bite too. They may have National in their companies' titles but it makes me hopeful that they aren't governmental propaganda machines and in plays like this they enable us to know our misgivings about how things are being done are shared by others. Cast - Headmaster - Bruce Alexander, Hector - Desmond Barrit, Timms - James Cartwright, Rudge - Philip Correia, Akthar - Marc Elliott, Mrs Lintott - Diane Fletcher, Dakin - Jamie King, Irwin - Tobias Menzies, Scripps - Thomas Morrison, Lockwood - Matt Smith, Crowther - Kenny Thompson and Posner - Steven Webb. 2005 Tour Details of National Theatre's (based in London) production of The History Boys. Tour begins 1 - 5 Nov at 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2pm SALFORD, The Lowry 0870 787 5790. 8 - 12 Nov at 8pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm WOKING, New Victoria Theatre 01483 545 900. 15 - 19 Nov at 7.30pm, Thurs & Sat 2.30pm GLASGOW Theatre Royal 0141 240 1133. 22 - 26 Nov at 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm MILTON KEYNES Theatre 0870 060 6652. Tour ends. Then goes back to National Theatre, London 020 7452 3000. Previews on 2 & 3 Dec at 7:30pm. 5 Dec - 1 Feb. 5 - 8, 13 - 17, 19, 23, 26 - 31 Dec at 7:30pm, Mats at 2:15 pm on 8, 15, 29 & 31 Dec. 2 - 4, 9 - 12, 17 - 21, 23 - 28, 30 & 31 Jan at 7:30pm, Mats at 2:15 pm on 4,10, 12, 18, 21, 26, 28 Jan. and finally 1 Feb at 7:30pm. It is also to tour abroad. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Theatre listings >
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