Review: The History Boys at Maidment Theatre

Alan Bennett's story of an unruly bunch of students has amused audiences around the world.

It is easy to see why Alan Bennett's play has enjoyed phenomenal success on both sides of the Atlantic as well as being a smash hit at the 2006 International Festival in Wellington.

The play delivers a deeply intellectual treatment of a difficult topic in a package both emotionally engaging and hugely entertaining.

Reversing the usual cliches about an unconventional teacher awaking a love of learning in an unresponsive students, Bennett opens with an impossibly clever group of school leavers preparing for their final examinations.

What is at stake is whether the boys will jump through the hoops required so they can gain entrance to Britain's top universities.

The action arises out of a scintillating clash of ideas on the nature of education with four sharply differing teaching methods thrown into competition.

But rather than presenting a clear winner, Bennett subjects each method to rigorous criticism and challenges the audience to reach their own conclusions.

The main protagonist, played with impish delight by George Henare, is a deeply learned eccentric who shares Erasmus's belief that the path to wisdom should not preclude a healthy dose of silliness.

Opposing him is Andrew Ford as a brilliantly clever contrarian who embodies Socrates' vigorous questioning of all conventional knowledge but is compromised by a fatal cynicism that views education as an elaborate game.

A kind of middle ground is occupied by Annie Whittle who displays a finely balanced combination of irony and passion as she represents the overlooked woman's perspective on a male world.

Hovering over them all is Bruce Phillips, who gives the aloof headmaster an endearing charm that prevents him from becoming the villain of the piece.

A group of eight boisterous school students are played with wildly theatrical exuberance by a talented young cast and it seems unfair to single out any of these fine performances.

But Elliot Christensen-Yule was clearly the audience favourite as he captured the understated irony of a gay student who seems blissfully unaware that his singing is so far off-key.

Producer-director Jesse Peach has made a triumphant graduation from his long apprenticeship in community theatre and shows enormous confidence in staging Bennett's non-naturalistic theatre.

The lengthy running time flies by with skilfully choreographed madness balanced by moments of stillness that allow the actors to find their own voice.