The History Boys West End revival: Alan Bennett's play returns to Theatre Royal Haymarket after 20 years
Nicholas Hytner will revive Alan Bennett's The History Boys in the West End for the first time in two decades, opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 10 April for a 16-week run. Bennett will be involved in the production's development.
The History Boys West End revival: Alan Bennett's play returns to Theatre Royal Haymarket after 20 years
Alan Bennett's The History Boys is coming back to the West End after two decades away, staged again by Nicholas Hytner, the director behind the original. The History Boys West End revival begins performances at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 10 April, with the production booked for a 16-week run.
First West End return in two decades
Hytner, who directed the play at the National Theatre and its 2006 film adaptation, is reuniting with the original designer Bob Crowley for the new staging. Bennett will be involved in the production's development.
Hytner's warning on humanities in schools
The director used the announcement to warn of an "almost terminal decline" in humanities teaching in state schools, saying music, drama, history and modern languages have been downgraded and calling it a mistake.
The revival arrives as the government carries out the biggest overhaul of the national curriculum and GCSEs in over ten years. A consultation on the plans began in September, and the reworked curriculum is due in spring 2027, with teaching starting in 2028.
Hytner argued that much of what state education has focused on over the last 20 years seems beside the point now that AI can do so much of what pupils were being prepared to do, and that schools could instead introduce pupils to creativity. The play, he said, champions the humanities as "the birthright of anybody who goes through the school system", rather than subjects valued only for their practical application.
From National Theatre premiere to award-winning hit
The play premiered at the National Theatre in 2004 before transferring to the West End and Broadway, where it collected its awards.
- It won three Olivier awards and six Tonys after those transfers
- It was voted the nation's favourite play
- Its original cast included James Corden, Russell Tovey and Dominic Cooper, whose careers it launched
Set in 1980s Sheffield, the play follows eight boys at a grammar school preparing for their university entrance exams under two teachers with opposing approaches, exploring adolescence, sexuality and ideas of learning.
Bennett's blessing and a new unknown cast
Hytner said Bennett, who is not usually keen on revivals of his own work, said he would love to see the play again. The playwright described The History Boys as one of the happiest plays he has written, and one of the quickest to set down, taking far less than his usual five years.
"I welcome its return under Nicholas Hytner."
Bennett noted the play is full of quotes and has become eminently quotable.
As with the original staging, the plan is to build the company around young performers whose names audiences do not yet know. "I can almost guarantee that none of the new cast will be well-known figures, because that's the point about them," Hytner said.
He added that the production will inevitably change, as the original evolved between its opening at the National Theatre and the end of its Broadway run in 2006, with any changes made with Bennett's input. He also hopes the play will resonate with a generation raised on social media, saying many young people are ambivalent about it and crave conversational spontaneity and concentration outside it.
The revival opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 10 April for a 16-week run, while a revised national curriculum is expected in spring 2027, with implementation from 2028.
