Regional Reviews: Chicago The History Boys Also see Richard's review of Legally Blonde and John's review of Rock 'n' Roll
Bowling accomplishes this without any significant rethinking of the play, but as a product of staging it with the resources of a small regional company versus those of either a Broadway producer or Britain's Royal National Theatre. Most significant is the casting of Hectorthe middle-aged, but non-traditional, teacher of a group of English boys preparing for entrance exams for Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Though Hector has taught this group before and has much affection for and from them, the school's Headmaster has brought in a rival of sorts for Hectorthe younger Irwin, who is to coach them on techniques to improve their chances of winning a place at one of the two prestigious schools. He instructs them on how to create provocative essays that may differentiate them as candidates but that are not necessarily truthful. Hector, on the other side, is opposed to testing of any kind and believes in the value of knowledge for knowledge's sakewhether or not an obvious application for any learning may exist. Hector was played in the London, Broadway and film versions by Richard Griffiths, whose physical and professional stature and presence (he's a large man and a huge talent) fully commanded the audience's attention whenever he was on stage. Bowling's Hector, Donald Brearley, is a superb actor who gives a deeply touching and vibrant performance, but he doesn'tand this is a good thingoverpower the others on stage. He's matched by Andrew Carter's intense Irwin and Terry Hamilton's menacing Headmaster, Felix Armstrong. Felix, not knowing what to make of Hector's teaching style, is no supporter of him, but his loyalties to the teachers with more traditional methodsIrwin and Dorothy Lintott (Ann Wakefield)are suspect as well. Without the dominating presence of a Richard Griffiths, The History Boys is much more of an ensemble show. The opposition between characters is brought into greater balance and our sympathies for any character or philosophy must be earned, even though the author's heart is clearly with Hector. As did the feature film, Bowling's production has a realistic scenic design, distinct from the stylized set by Bob Crowley used for the London and Broadway stagings. Most of this production's action is on a rectangular playing area between two sections of seatingwith the area bare except for moveable student desks and a large teacher's desk. The space outside the playing area establishes a school corridor on one end and the boys' individual bedrooms (in which they are occupied with various activities before the curtain and during intermission) on the other. Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridgea master at using whatever space he hasgives a realistic feel to these spaces as well as to a small balcony at one end which serves as the teacher's lounge. Bowling's "boys"reportedly cast from over 200 auditioneesare led by Joel Gross as a handsome, slightly dangerous Dakin. Alex Weisman, a Northwestern University junior who looks much younger, has a take on Posner quite different from that of Samuel Barnett, who originated the role of the only gay and only Jew in the class, and who has an unrequited crush on Dakin. Weisman's Posner is deathly shy and only reluctantly becomes more assertive near the end of the play. Scrippsthe kid who's cool enough to pal around with Dakin yet empathetic enough to befriend Posneris given a complex and thoughtful persona by Will Allan. The remainderBrad Bukauskas, Behzad Dabu, Rob Fenton, Govind Kumar and Michael Petershave an energy and roughness about them that feels authentic for a bunch of teenagers, albeit smart ones, living in the working class city of Sheffield in northern England. I'm guessing the regional accents might be less authenticcloser to ones heard in London than the dialect of Yorkshirebut again that's an asset that helps the audience's comprehension. Imagine you were one of a small group invited to a private reading of this play by original director Nicholas Hytner and you'll get a feeling of the power of seeing these actors up close in TimeLine's intimate theater. Yes, it's really that good, and maybe better because of the authenticity of the production design and focus on character above star power. It makes a strong case for The History Boys as a play that will be revisited and explored for quite some time. The History Boys will be performed Wednesdays through Sundays through October 18, 2009, at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 773.281.TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com.
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