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Newer PostOlder PostT U E S D AY, A P R I L 2 5 , 2 0 0 6Surfing Through "The History Boys"I saw this Alan Bennett play in London last year and couldn't wait tosee it again on Broadway. It's a great production of a good play. Thestory of a group of lads (about 18 years old) studying for the entranceexam to Oxford and Cambridge, it's filled with wit, humor and -- ratherunexpectedly -- song. Richard Griffiths commands the stage as Hector,a winning teacher who encourages free thinking and knowledge forknowledge's sake. He also gives the older lads a ride home on hismotorcycle so the unhappily married Hector can fiddle with theirprivates. His arch enemy is a new teacher brought in to coach the ladsfor their exams and give them tips for brightening up their essays, likearguing that it was Great Britain that prompted WWI or that it wasJapan that was caught sleeping during Pearl Harbor -- anything"clever" to catch the eye, and truth be damned. This simple clash ofideas is fodder enough for a great show -- and indeed one of the mostgripping moments occurs when Hector gives the gay Jewish lad Posnera detailed lecture on a poem by Hardy. (Believe me, the audience istransfixed.) And with the boys encouraged to sing old British poptunes, act out the endings to classic films like "Brief Encounters" orpractice French by pretending to visit a bordello, the stage is burstingwith energy. A pity that Bennett feels the need to make his wider aimsso obvious by throwing in politics, TV historians, making the "clever"teacher a complete fraud and then capping it off with a sentimentalgambit more appropriate for "Goodbye Mr. Chips." But 90% of theshow is pure delight and I'd love to be there on closing night inSeptember. It's already been filmed, so you'll be able to see the movieversion this fall with the same cast. Don't miss it.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT
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POPSURFING.COM: Surfing Through "The History Boys"http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/04/surfing-through-history...
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