eveningsout

An engrossing tale of desires in a British boys school

1

STEPHEN CAMPANELLA

Posner (Matthew Martin Thomas) and Hector (Dann Hart, seated) sing along with Dakin on the piano (Eric Fancher).

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-It has been posited that British boys' schools are the gayest places on Earth. Thrill to tales of rich young brats playing fascinating games like "soggy biscuit" or, in one memorable episode of the Brit-com Black Adder, "toast rack."

Things are not quite that lust-ridden in the Beck Center for the Arts' production of Alan Bennett's History Boys, running through March 30, but they're close.

The piece follows a few months in the lives of a group of schoolboys who are about to take their entrance exams for Oxford and Cambridge, Britain's two most prestigious universities.

Young Posner, a Jewish lad and avid singer, is in love with classmate Dakin, who is dating Fiona, the headmaster's assistant. Scripps is in love with God, trying to get it out of his system so he can enjoy his incipient adulthood.

They are the most central boys in the piece, but the other five characters all contribute something to the story.

However, it is the interaction between the boys and the adults that is the main motivating factor in the play.

Hector is their English teacher, instilling in them a love of individual thought, literature and art. He tries to "insulate" their minds from the soul-crushing educational establishment.

He also likes to get in a quick fondle while driving them around on his motorbike, which the young men seem to view as an act of charity to an affable old eccentric.

The headmaster, Armstrong, wants the boys to get into the good schools. They would be his first class to get across-theboard acceptance into the acclaimed universities. So he brings in Irwin, a young teacher barely older than his pupils, to supplement the tutelage already provided by their history instructor, Mrs. Lintott.

Unfortunately, the ethos of Hector and Irwin clash notably. Hector believes in truth, beauty and knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Irwin thinks that the only reason to learn something is to be able to use it on the entrance exams, and it doesn't have to be true, it just has to be interesting.

An even greater conflict emerges between the two: they both find Dakin quite attractive, making Posner both their rival and their compatriot.

That odd enemy/ally dynamic begins to form between Irwin and Hector as well, leading to a finely crafted, witty, deft seriocomic drama.

Having seen it on preview night, which is technically the dress rehearsal, minor technical mishaps or flubs were to be expected. The performances, though, were completely polished.

Since it is the production of a British play by an American cast, accents were done with varying levels of skill.

Dana Hart as Hector had such an impeccable accent, it was easy to forget where one was. Similarly, Dan Folino's Irwin was believable and consistent, as were Dede Klein's Lintott and Michael Regnier's Armstrong.

Among the boys, there was more variation in levels of aptitude with the accents, although none were off enough to really take the audience out of the moment.

For the most part, in fact, they ranged from good to excellent.

What matters most, however, are the performances, and one is completely drawn in. For a play that clocked in that night at nearly three hours, including the intermission, there was never a moment when one longed for an end.

Audiences could feel Matthew Martin Thomas' Posner longing for Eric Fancher's Dakin. Adam Day Howard's Scripps' wisdom was delivered magnificently throughout. All the other young actors were quite capable.

Running throughout the play is a constant string of music tying one scene to another, and Adam Day Howard's efforts as music director added much to the experience. In fact, the biggest complaint about the show might be that they do not play the complete song in between scenes.

Director Sarah May is to be commended for her achievement, bringing together a talented cast and spurring them on to greater, faster-paced feats than many of them have ever accomplished.

Tickets for The History Boys can be purchased by calling 216-521-2540 or online at www.beckcenter.org. The show runs at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 3 pm matinee on Sundays. The Beck Center for the Arts is at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood.

March 14, 2008

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