History Boys touring production hits Hanley’s Regent Theatre

Mar 17 2010 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

ALAN Bennett’s classic modern drama The History Boys visits the Regent Theatre, Hanley, next week.

The show made a phenomenal impact on its National Theatre debut, winning three Olivier Awards, six Tony Awards, the Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards, including Best Play.

The touring production from West Yorkshire Playhouse is the first of the story about a Yorkshire Grammar School since the original.

The History Boys are a boisterous bunch of bright, funny, sixth- formers attempting to gain entrance to Oxford or Cambridge whilst evading the distractions of sport and sex.

Staffroom battles and the anarchy of adolescence provide a rich vein of comedy as the headmaster has his eye on the league tables but the endearingly eccentric English teacher, Hector, has very different ideas about how the boys should be prepared for exams and for life.

Taking them through an eclectic timetable encompassing everything from the great poets to Edith Piaf, Hector insists that learning is for life, not just for the exam room.

But when the headmaster brings in Irwin, a bright junior master to coach the boys, the pupils’ allegiances are divided.

The show runs from Monday until Saturday, March 27. Shows start at 8pm with 2.30pm matinees on the Wednesday and Saturday.

Tickets are from £11-£25. To book, call the box office on 0844 871 7649 or visit www.ambassadortickets.com/ Regent-Theatre.