The History Boys was a resounding success - both artistic and financial. The show was an almost total sell-out, and the feedback from our audiences on social media was wonderful.
Here are some reactions from Facebook:
"Outstanding performance last night by all the cast. A wonderful evening of entertainment, thank you." Kathryn W
"Top marks all round! Wonderful play about the quality of humanity and its transforming role in education. So many good things it's unfair to pick one name, but I have to say that David White as Hector, the teacher who all teenagers deserve, brings perfectly-judged sympathy, humour and understated wisdom to this key role. And the boys? They are a class of all the talents. Thank you Michelle Montague (director) for an evening to remember." David N
"Well done Michelle and all, a great production." Kirsten R
"I had very high hopes for the production of The History Boys at Sewell Barn this evening with Charlie Skinner and David Nicholas Green and I was not disappointed. All those who know me, know how critical I am when it comes to the theatre and how high my standards are, so when I say that it was like watching a professional company I mean it. Congratulations to the director as the brilliant yet demanding script and the space available must have made the task challenging but I can say ,with ease, that the direction appeared faultless and creative. The whole cast played their characters with excellent timing, depth and subtlety. I especially admired the seamless and creative scene changes. A thoughtful, funny and heartfelt performance of a brilliant play and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Congratulations to all involved xxx" Laura W
"Absolutely brilliant production of The History Boys last night. Really believed the boys were in class together for many years! Excellent." Barnaby M
"What an amazing show... everything about it... lost for words... so much to take in that I may have to go back again next week. Massive congratulations to everyone involved." Ruth H
"Congratulations to all of you in the cast. A fantastic performance which captured the poignancy, power and humour of Alan Bennett's great play. You brought 80s Yorkshire (and beyond) to life superbly. Loved it." John B
"Incredible professional performances all round, well done to everyone." Matthew D
"Great opening night! Congratulations to the whole company, you have a brilliant show xxx" Rachel L
"Went to see a wonderful, thought provoking production of The History Boys at Sewell Barn tonight. Huge congratulations to Miche Montague and her team. This was a marvellous, creative and absorbing interpretation. I loved the songs too! Pass it on, pass it on and go see it while you can!" Clare W
"The History Boys at the Sewell Barn was bloody brilliant! Well done to David Nicholas Green, Charlie Skinner, and everyone else involved!" Victoria P
"Congratulations to the cast and crew of History Boys. Went to see the show last night and it is both a credit and testament to the work of Miche Montague. Not just on this production, not just her work at Sewell Barn, but her work in the wider Norwich drama community. The sheer strength and ability of the boys in this production (all of whom have come through the ranks at the Theatre Royal under Miche's teaching and mentorship) is a delight. I'm sure they would have given the boys in the original professional production a run for their money. This isn't intended as a review but I feel I have to call out two exceptional performances: Luke McCulloch (Posner) and Joe Darbyshire (Dakin) pulled out performances way beyond their years. I'm sure both have a very bright future in the profession. Luke's natural ability and timing is a rare, innate, talent (possibly a future stand up comedian?) and Joe's brooding stage presence clearly demonstrates that he has "it". This is not to denigrate any of the other performances. this was a show that relied on the ability of a strong ensemble performance. And they all delivered in spades... An absolute credit to Sewell Barn. Well done." Nick M
Elsewhere online, we've had a lovely review from Deborah at Outline; you can read the whole article here. "A well produced and very enjoyable version of this play."
and Twitter:
" 'History is just one thing after another' but History Boys is one great scene after another. Catch it @sewellbarn a must-see" @jbultitude
"Saw @LukeMcCulloch as Posner in #TheHistoryBoys @sewellbarn lst night. What a fantastic performance! So very proud." @theactorsclass
