“The History Boys,” now playing at the Ahmanson Theater, boasts brilliant writing, excellent acting and creative staging. However, the story about eight youngsters in an English high school sometimes suffers in translation. A joke about a boy listing his several afflictions ends with “and I live in Sheffield.” It would evoke American laughter (unfairly) if he had said he lived in Brooklyn.
Alan Bennett, the playwright, is masterful with words and his characters manage to offer clever observations and philosophical insights. There are many delightful moments in the play, especially one in which the students practice their French in a make-believe brothel. Their acting out of scenes in popular movies is also laugh-provoking.
The boys are all delightful as individuals although, unfortunately, there are the stereotypes like the confused gay lad who sings, appropriately, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” Another is a sex-hungry youngster who knows how to titillate his peers.
Like boys here in America who apply to Ivy League colleges, the British boys are preparing for possible entry into Oxford or Cambridge. The headmaster, played like a headmaster by H. Richard Greene, feels it would be an honor for the school to have a student accepted at one of the prestigious colleges. Their teacher, played by Dakin Matthews, has his own recipe for success. An elderly man with a dark secret, he is just the kind of teacher everyone wants. He instills in his students a love of art and literature and many scenes enlighten the audience as well. Recitations of poetry are heartfelt.
However, the headmaster brings in another man, Peter Paige, who is expected to teach the boys the ways and means of enhancing their chances. Hence the conflict that drives the drama.
Outstanding among the students are Seth Numrich, the woman chaser, and Alex Brightman who is besotted with him. Brett Ryback is charming as he narrates and performs on the piano. Other youngsters are played by Ammar Ramzi, Demond Robertson, Adam Armstrong, Cord Jackman and Sean Marquette.
Also in the cast as the prime listener is teacher Charlotte Cornwell who looks great and handles her lines well.
The staging is quite fascinating, as films roll by showing the characters as they rush through a day at school. The sets are clever and can quickly change from school room to headmaster’s office. This American version of the play, originally directed by Nicholas Hytner, has as its director Paul Miller. Both deserve credit for serving up a fast-paced erudite drama.