History Boys

Two things stood out after seeing The History Boys at D.C.'s Studio Theater last night.

One was the fact that (typically) of the two gay lead characters one ends up dead and the other ends up a loser and a loner. There can be no happy gays on the stage. Tangentially, it struck me as odd that the school boys would accept one of their own -- "Datkin," played by Jay Sullivan -- gleefully seeking an affair with a young male professor. The play is set in the 1980s and I don't recall that sort of openness about bisexuality. Oh wait, this is set in England, well, cheerio and pip pip. Perhaps Margaret Thatcher's Great Britain was more progressive than we thought it was.

The other thing that stood out was ensemble actor Adam Foss (pictured). He's a beautiful young man and he moved energetically and gracefully about the stage. He didn't have much else to do, but of the boys he seemed the most innocent, eager and mischievous. And he was just plain fun to watch. I hope to see him in a meatier role in the future.

Okay, I said, two things, but here's a bonus:

There's a scene where the audience is waiting for the student Datkin to make a move on his young professor (shortly after Datkin invites the prof. to "suck me off"). Man, could you feel the tension in the theater and everyone was rapt. It's one of those collective live theater experiences that make it worth going to the theater.