The History Boys by Alan Bennett

 “Make it interesting – it’s all the same either way.”

The Arden Theatre Company’s production of The History Boys, written by Alan Bennett and directed by Terrence J. Nolan, does make it interesting.  In a British prep school for boys, the Headmaster (David Howey) is intent on sending some of his students to Oxford and Cambridge. There is absolutely nothing he wants more. However, he needs outside help, a young, fresh thinking professor, almost straight out of university, to help him. Irwin (Matthew Amendt) turns the dynamic between the students and professors upside down, while Hector (Frank X) turns the school on its head for another, less well looked upon reason.

(Michael Doherty as Posner and Frank X as Hector. Photo by Mark Garvin.)

“It’s not education – it’s culture.”

That becomes one of the questions asked through the piece – what’s ultimately the difference and what keeps them apart? Through everything that happens within this play, there is always a tug of war going on. The boys seem to believe that art, in its many forms, is not part of their education and should not be mixed with history. However, they quickly learn that, art is what makes history interesting and how it is put into context for many people.

“There’s no better way of forgetting something than by commemorating it.”

The talent for this production is phenomenal. Frank X is at his height as Hector, creating a character the audience loves, and even when it’s obvious that he’s doing inappropriate things, the audience still loves him. That’s a very hard thing to do. On the contrary, Matthew Amendt’s Irwin starts as the outsider, and even though the students eventually become fond of him, he still always seems different. The boys are all extremely talented, but two definitely stood out. Posner (Michael Doherty) was a highlight – he wasn’t like the other boys and his singing was exceptional. Scripps (Matt Leisy) was really confident and gave personality to a character who seemed to often be a bouncing board for other characters. Additionally, the only female character in the entire show, Mrs. Lintott (Maureen Torsney-Weir) was a riot. Every time she walked on stage, it seemed that the audience was laughing for one reason or another.

This show is technically spectacular. The lighting – it’s hard to believe how subtle it could be while still being so dramatic and effective. Additionally, the scene transitions done in character by the boys were a highlight of the show. Entertaining to watch, it really helped develop character and relationships between the characters early on in the production.

“Do you really believe that or are you just trying to make us think?”

This production really does the show justice, but almost everything that the Arden Theatre Company puts on is so well crafted and full of talent, that they never seem to miss the mark.  A definite must see this season.

Arden Theatre Company presents The History Boys by Alan Bennett and directed by Terrence J. Nolen, September 24^th  – November 1^st at the F. Otto Haas Stage at the Arden, 40 N. 2^nd Street. Tickets $29 – $48. 215-922-1122, www.ardentheatre.org.

Little Lamb by Michael Whistler

“There’s a world of … joy out there!” At least, that’s what Denny (Ames Adams) believes in InterAct Theatre Company’s Little Lamb by Michael Whistler and directed by Seth Rozin. Denny isn’t religious and he isn’t always realistic, but he’s got more love in him than you could imagine. And he’s got his partner, Jose (Frank X) to ground him. They’re the perfect team. All they want is to be parents – to raise a child and give it the best home they possibly can. Cathy (Kaci M. Fannin), their adoption agent, finds them a child, but things don’t work smoothly when the birth mother comes back into the picture, demanding her child.

Ames Adamson as Denny and Frank X as Jose. Photo by Seth Rozin.

A truly heartfelt performance, Frank X was stunning in his portrayal of Jose. He really understood the character and was able to bring him to life in a way that no one else may have been able to. Additionally, Kaci M. Fannin’s performance as Cathy was an exceptional one, giving the audience a look at a torn woman, who has had to and continues to make the hard choices in life.

The performance overall, however, was not as flawless as it could have been. There were more than a few occasions where lines were stumbled over and it really threw off the flow of the performance. The set featured the most stereotypical gay man décor, which really worked with what was going on and the character’s personalities – everyone was very stereotypical.

Little Lamb challenges a lot of issues faced in the world today – religion, race, sexuality. And although the performance was spectacular, the content was a little overwhelming at some points. It’s almost as if, had it been scaled back to facing two of those three issues, it would have been even better. However, as far as new plays go, it really seemed to flow well and definitely has a future ahead of it.

This is definitely a show worth seeing. It’s got its funny moments, but in the end, it’ll have the audience in tears.

InterAct Theatre Company presents Little Lamb by Michael Whistler and directed by Seth Rozin, May 29^th – June 28^th at the Mainstage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street. 215-568-8079, www.interacttheatre.org.