Alan Bennett’s The History Boys will return to London’s West End for a 16-week engagement at Theatre Royal Haymarket beginning in April 2027. Nicholas Hytner directs again, reuniting with original designer Bob Crowley. A new young cast will take on the story of eight Sheffield schoolboys and their teachers, first staged at the National Theatre in 2004.
Alan Bennett’s The History Boys is returning to London’s West End with its original director, Nicholas Hytner, and designer Bob Crowley. The announced engagement at Theatre Royal Haymarket begins on 10 April 2027 and runs for 16 weeks. Bennett is participating in the revival’s development.[1], [2]
First staged at London’s National Theatre in 2004, the play transferred to the West End and Broadway. The original production won three Olivier awards and six Tonys, helping launch the careers of James Corden, Russell Tovey and Dominic Cooper. Hytner also directed the 2006 film adaptation.[1]
Set in Sheffield in northern England during the 1980s, it follows eight boys preparing for university entrance and teachers with competing ideas about education. The revival is assembling a new young cast.[1]
Hytner has linked the return to concerns about humanities teaching in state schools, naming music, drama, modern languages and history. That assessment is the director’s view. A curriculum consultation began in September, with revisions expected in spring 2027 and implementation in 2028. Bennett welcomed the revival of a play that places different purposes of education at the heart of its story.[1]
