The History Boys to Return to the West End for the First Time in 20 Years
Published on 22 October 2026
Summary
- Alan Bennett’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning play returns to the West End in April 2027.
- Nicholas Hytner directs the National Theatre production
- Arriving at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a 16-week run.
The History Boys will return to the West End for the first time in 20 years, with Alan Bennett’s award-winning play running at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 10 April to 24 July 2027.
Originally premiering at the National Theatre in 2004, the production transferred to the West End and Broadway, winning three Olivier Awards and six Tony Awards. Nicholas Hytner returns to direct the revival, with Olivier Award-winning designer Bob Crowley also reprising his role. Casting will be announced in January 2027.
What is The History Boys about?
Set in 1980s Britain, The History Boys follows eight schoolboys at a grammar school in Sheffield as they navigate adolescence, sexuality and school politics, while their teachers clash over the purpose of education. Poignant, subversive and funny, Bennett’s play explores class, institutional culture and the nature of history itself.
Hytner said: “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 added: “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. It was also one of the quickest to set down, taking far less than my usual five years. So, something of a record for me. The play is full of quotes and has itself become eminently quotable. A joy for any playwright. I welcome its return under Nicholas Hytner.”
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By Hay Brunsdon
I've over 15 years of writing and editorial experience, and starting working in the West End theatre industry in 2012. When not watching or writing about theatre I'm usually swimming, hiking, running, or training for triathlons in the Stroud valleys.