Alan Bennett's 'The History Boys' to return to the West End

Nicholas Hytner's smash hit production of Alan Bennett's seminal play will return in 2027.

Summary

• Alan Bennett’s *The History Boys* will return to London next year for the first time in 20 years
• The production will run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from Saturday 10 April - Sunday 24 July
• Director Nicholas Hytner will reunite with Olivier Award-winning designer Bob Crowley

Nicholas Hytner's award-winning production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys will return to London next year for the first time in 20 years. The production will run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for 16 weeks, from Saturday 10 April - Sunday 24 July.

Set in 1980s Britain, Bennett’s play follows eight Sheffield Grammar School boys as they navigate sex, adolescence, teacher-relations, and school politics in a rapidly changing world.

The play premiered at the National Theatre in 2004 before transferring to the West End and Broadway, winning three Olivier Awards and six Tony Awards and launching the careers of its young cast, including Dominic Cooper, Russell Tovey, and James Corden.

Hytner will reunite with Olivier Award-winning designer Bob Crowley for the production at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Casting for the production will be announced in January 2027.

Hytner commented: “More than 20 years after it opened at the National Theatre, it’s the right time to be bringing this great and much loved play back to the London stage. I can’t wait to take another look at it, and to introduce it to a new generation of theatre goers. My collaboration with Alan Bennett has been central to my creative life, and it’s a delight to be back in the theatre with him again.”

Bennett said: “The History Boys is one of the happiest plays I've written. Or rather, it was one of the happiest of my plays to write."

Check back for The History Boys tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Image Credit: Courtesy of production