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October 10, 2008
Comedy with purpose
History Boys will make you think, laugh, sigh.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Does the truth matter? Apparently not when you're trying to get into a prestigious university. But it might if you're trying to succeed in life.
These divergent views on the importance of truth relate not only to the purpose of education, but to the recording of history and the building of relationships, as well. They are presented in the witty and provocative History Boys, which is now on at the Arts Club Theatre Company's Granville Island stage.
Written by Alan Bennett, this play – which also has been made into a film – takes place in an English grammar school in the 1980s. It follows a semester in the lives of eight smart young men who are trying to get into either Oxford or Cambridge. The students are intellectually challenged by – and are enjoying learning from – a veteran teacher named Hector (Bernard Cuffling), despite his inappropriate behavior with them when driving them home on his motorbike. The headmaster (Duncan Fraser), however, is more concerned with his school's prestige than the knowledge it imparts, so he hires a young instructor, Irwin (Kirk Smith), to teach the boys ways of getting high exam scores and being noticed by the Oxford/Cambridge admissions committees.
Hector and Irwin, with their vastly different teaching styles and personalities, confuse the students, but this forces the boys and their teachers to confront their own beliefs and abilities. In the process, the audience is taken on a very funny (and cynical) journey that may also generate some self-reflection. Bennett's script confronts several issues head-on, including how we consider history (in the context of teaching the Holocaust), the nature and point of education, the value of the arts and literature, sexual abuse and sexual identity. It mixes humor with serious social commentary and the entire Arts Club cast does a formidable job of moving through the various moods of the play.
Of special note are Cuffling, who plays the pitiable Hector with great passion and honesty; Fraser, who is spot on with his portrayal of the officious headmaster; and Charlie Carrick, who embodies the role of the good-looking, charming and confident leader of the class, Dakin. Jane Noble, as Dorothy Lintott, the only woman in the boys school, gets some of the best lines and she delivers them well. And Daniel Karasik, while he fails to master a British accent, gives a touching performance as Posner, a Jewish student who pines after Dakin and has a penchant for singing.
Director Dean Paul Gibson gives the whole production a sense of urgency. Set changes are often bustling and barely get completed by the time the dialogue begins anew. The "soundtrack" put together by Brian Linds – which will be the envy of many an audience member – combined with the lighting (Marsha Sibthorpe) and projection (Jamie Nesbitt) designs, also add to the unsettled feel of the play, mirroring the various personal crises being faced by the boys and their teachers. The result is that you laugh a lot and enjoy the music and movie clips, but leave the theatre feeling a little sad, wondering where your own life has gone, and whether it has been time well spent so far.
Bennett, who lives in London, England, has written many plays, novels and other works. The original London production of The History Boys won three 2005 Olivier Awards and the New York production won five Drama Desk Awards and six Tony Awards. While the Arts Club production may not rank quite as highly, it is well worth seeing.
Arts Club presents The History Boys until Oct. 25, with showtimes Monday at 8 p.m., Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., and Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30, with discounts for students, seniors and groups. Call the box office at 604-687-1644 or visit artsclub.com.
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