“A play that strikes me as one of the finest Bennett has ever written, packed with superb one-liners. A play of depth as well as dazzle, intensely moving as well as thought-provoking and funny” - this is what the Daily review wrote in their review of The National Theatre’s production of the award-winning play by Bennet. The play is about a group of bright, yet unruly students and their teachers at an elitist British boy school. The principal is obsessed with results and want the boys to be Oxbridge-candidates. To achieve this goal, he hires a younger and harshly disciplinary history teacher called Irwin. His philosophy is that good results are achieved through hard work but also with a pertinent portion of spanking. In contrast, we are also introduced to the good-hearted English teacher Mr. Hector, whose argument is that exams are an enemy to the educational system. In the middle of all this, we observe this group of wild teenage boys, far more occupied with adventure than pragmatic learning. “In short, a superb, life-enhancing play.” The Guardian / Best Play - Evening Standard Award & Critics’ Circle Award / Best New Play - Laurence Olivier Award
