The History Boys are coming home. After ending their current Broadway run at the Broadhurst Theatre on 1 October, the cast will fly home to attend the Royal World premiere the following day on 2 October at the Odeon Leicester Square, in the presence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
The premiere will raise funds for the Prince’s Trust that His Royal Highness Prince Charles personally endorses and gives practical and financial support to 14-30 year-olds. In the last 30 years, the charity has helped over half a million young people and continues to support 100 more every day.
Prince Charles had previously saw Alan Bennett’s play during its original run at the National Theatre, and director Nicholas Hytner has commented, “I was delighted Prince Charles enjoyed his visit to the National Theatre to see the The History Boys so much. Alan Bennett and I were happy to join his summer school for English and History teachers to discuss the issues raised by the play. It is very exciting to be able to welcome him and the Duchess of Cornwall to the world premiere of the film in England, where it all began. We hope to be able to continue our discussion about the purpose of education and the meaning of history.”
Fox Searchlight President Peter Rice added, “We felt this was the absolute perfect way to premiere this film. We couldn’t be happier that our world premiere will be in the presence of their Royal Highnesses. After the phenomena of the play in London and now in New York it’s a thrill to have them return triumphantly home to London and bring it all full circle.”
The film version reunites the original National Theatre cast, including Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Stephen Campbell Moore and Clive Merrison in the adult roles, plus the original team of boys that features Samuel Barnett as Posner, Dominic Cooper as Dakin, James Corden as Timms, Sacha Dhwawan as Akthar, Samuel Anderson as Crowther, Andrew Knott as Lockwood, Jamie Parker as Scripps and Russell Tovey as Rudge.
Hytner’s previous films include the stage-to-film transfer of another Alan Bennett play, The Madness of King George, with which he made his film directorial debut in 1994, a film version of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible starring Daniel Day-Lewis in 1996, The Object of My Affection in 1998, Twelfth Night, or What You Will for television in 1998, and Center Stage in 2000.
The film will open in cinemas in the U.K. on 13 October. A second U.K. national tour of the play begins in Birmingham on 31 August and will then visit Nottingham, Coventry, Bradford, Hull, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Belfast, Llandudno, Cardiff and Salford Quays.