Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

The History Boys

 
Ruth Bennett Review by Ruth Bennett 4 Published: 5 Feb 2026 Bedlam Theatre Show Dates: 3 Feb 2026-6 Feb 2026

The strong ensemble cast of Theatre Paradok’s production of The History Boys breathes new life into a classic and offers a welcome change of focus on its themes.

A vibrant and entertaining show

The production, directed by Lauren Green, takes a light hand in adapting the material, which at first seems unfortunate. The much-praised script has not aged well. Alan Bennett’s play about boys in a grammar school preparing for their Oxbridge entrance exams is dark academia indeed, raising issues of predation and abuse of power with dismissiveness. Nonetheless, subtle alterations allow other elements of Bennett’s complex writing to come to the fore.

The biggest change here is that some of the boys’ characters are played by women. The choice to do it openly is an excellent one. It’s surprisingly natural, and it emphasises that these are youth on the cusp of adulthood, unsexed, unformed (as their teacher Hector might say), and only just attaining individuality.

Visually, this academia is riotous rather than dark, and this, too, works well. The energy is reflected in the set, which, while static, is a joyful ebullience of educational paraphernalia and paper cranes and aeroplanes. Clever costuming by Naoise Gilpin and Sophie Slight helps establish different roles and identities for the many students on stage all at once.

The large cast handles the difficult material well. Bella Burgess gives the devout Scripps insouciance and spark, and her piano playing complements the musical scenes in which Darcy Chong’s expressive singing infuses tenderness and vulnerability into Posner’s unrequited love for his classmate. Eric Parker, as Dakin, the love object, strikes the perfect balance as a young man overly pleased with himself, cognisant of his many admirers, and yet still callow enough to wildly mispronounce Nietzsche’s name. Megan Crutchley as Dorothy delivers world-weariness convincingly and acquits herself well in a too-small role.

Zephyrus Pettitt (Hector) and Lucas Knepper (Irwin) both depart from how their characters are often portrayed. Pettitt’s Hector carries the trademark erudition and bonhomie, but never comes across as a broken man. Knepper, wonderfully nuanced as Irwin, brings such depth to his role that the character’s usual glibness is not in evidence. Their reinterpretations offer thought-provoking new perspectives.

The production does carry a few hallmarks of being a student company. The most serious issue is with sound: some lines are rushed, insufficiently projected, or too frequently delivered upstage; music drowns them out too often. At times, across the players, speeches seem recited rather than embodied, and some dialogue gets stepped on. Video screen translations for a hilarious scene in French are barely visible behind the cast.

These are, on the whole, minor flaws. The exuberance of the company is infectious, and their propulsive energy and high spirits make for a vibrant and entertaining show. At the same time, thoughtful choices by the director and actors create a production that rewards close inspection and lingers in one’s mind long after the curtain closes.

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Supported by University of Edinburgh Department of English and Scottish Literature, Theatre Paradok presents Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. An unruly group of bright and cheeky sixth-form students at a Yorkshire grammar school are applying to Oxbridge. With staff-room rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence, the play explores the value and meaning of education, truth, and sexuality. Contains references to sexual abuse and sexual harassment, strong language, smoking and death.