WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION: In New York, Alan Bennett's The History Boys is the hot play right now, having swept the Tonys and having a much-anticipated movie version scheduled to arrive for awards season. There's a lot of great stuff in the play--the intellectual debate between the two lead teachers, the withering sarcasm and arch eyebrows of the only major female character, the way each of the 8 "History Boys" emerges as a fully drawn character. That said, this isn't going to "play in Peoria." Leaving aside the subject matter--a major and sympathetic character is arguably a pedophile--this is a play that requires 110% of the brain to even follow. There's a long scene in French (which I will be interested to see if they subtitle in the film), and throughout, there are constant references, with little or no explanation, to 18th and 19th century British poetry and British history. Matters are not helped by the fact that the play features (and the movie will feature) the original, often highly accented, British cast. I enjoyed it (especially once the people sitting next to me declined to return for Act II, and I could move from my obstructed view seat to a full view seat), but it's a play that I fear has to be read, then seen, to be understood.
That said, expect Oscar nominations for Frances De La Tour (if her part isn't cut back too much in the film adaptation), Samuel Barnett (as the "Boy" with the most dramatic plot arc), and Richard Griffiths (though he may wind up running as a supporting actor depending on how the film works).
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