RUSSELL TOVEY - No.218

For those on the far side of the world I have posted some Australian Press and Theatre reviews from 2006...This is when I first saw Russell Tovey live in Sydney NSW.

I live over 200kms north of Sydney so it was a long day going down and back but really worth the effort. The Sydney Theatre has a great location and I'm sure the cast were able to get out and do lots of tourist things which are located close by...walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge, catch the Manly Ferry, eat at some of the best restaurants in the world, visit Kings Cross, Bondi Beach and Oxford Street, see Sydney Harbour and of course the theatre is just up on the hill near the Sydney Opera House.

The History Boys

By Alan Bennett

Sydney Theatre

SEASON SOLD OUT

Opened:
4 March 2006
Closed:
8 April 2006

Summary

It is Britain in the eighties. The Britain of Margaret Thatcher, social upheaval and rapid change. In the midst of the uncertainty, a class of clever, witty sixth-form boys, with all the contradictions of youth; at one moment precocious and obsessed with sex, at the next anxious and confused as they prepare to enter the real world. Like all about to enter uncharted waters, the boys look for leadership. Enter their formidable English master, Hector. Curmudgeonly, dedicated, impossible, inspiring, he is the kind of teacher that can change a student’s life. He is a defender of the old values, a believer in education as a bastion against life, a relic of an age already vanishing from memory. For all the charm and benevolence of his classroom however, Hector has a dark side, and when his conduct provokes questions, loyalties are tested. With Samuel Anderson, Samuel Barnett, Stephen Campbell Moore, James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Sacha Dhawan, Richard Griffiths, Andrew Knott, Jamie Parker, Malcolm Sinclair, Maggie Steed and Russell Tovey.

Reviews

"The twists and turns of this play are unpredictable and deeply moving, and the cast is exceptional. Essentially, it is a life-enhancing, sad, joyous experience."
The Australian Sunday Telegraph

"Bennett's playwriting career spans almost 40 years: The History Boys could well be its crowning achievement. This is a brilliantly witty, wise and heartfelt play, one which is not just supremely entertaining, but also deals intelligently with pedagogy, politics, and movingly, the mysteries of the human heart."
The Australian Sun-Herald

"...Nicholas Hytner's production is hugely entertaining, passionate and gripping. More than the sparkle of one-liners, metaphors and epigrams, Bennett has crafted one of the great humanist plays of our times...A must-see."
The Sydney Morning Herald

"... Hector, played beautifully and movingly by the wonderful Richard Griffiths. Maggie Steed gives a superb performance. At the centre of this show though is the class - the bright history boys of the title - played by eight fine actors."
The Australian

This is one of the HD movie trailers. Press play.