John Tramontana plays Hector, who has the boys learn things by memorization - poems, movie lines, music - that are not part of the curriculum and then causes a bit of a stir as he blurs the line of propriety. Photos by Tom Kochie

Southampton - With 1980s British rock blaring, the cast strides in darkness on to the stage. A single spotlight shines on a man in a wheelchair giving an interview. The lights go out, the scene is reset and the action begins as eight young men take the stage in a two-hour long history lesson which holds the audience mesmerized in its grip. So begins the Michael Disher and Center Stage production of Alan Bennett's Tony Award-winning play, "The History Boys," currently running at the Southampton Cultural Center.

Irwin (Mark Anderson) is pursued by Dakin (Christopher D'Amico) throughout the play.

The story centers on a group of young men preparing for entrance exams to Oxford and Cambridge in Sheffield, England and is told in the past and present. The headmaster, played expertly by Daniel Becker of Montauk, is ardent in his need to "get the school on the map" by having at least one student breech the hallowed halls of Oxford. He hires a young teacher, Irwin, portrayed by Mark Anderson, to get the boys ready to pass the exams by learning to craft papers that will get them noticed.

Irwin is curious about the teaching methods of fellow teacher Hector, played by John Tramontana, who has the boys learn things by memorization - poems, movie lines, music - that are not part of the curriculum. Bridging the gap is teacher Dorothy Lintott, played by Vay David, who, as the only woman in the school, has taught the boys all she can and seems at times to be the understanding voice of reason when things go awry.

Awry might be too subtle a word considering one of the main struggles in the play is molestation of a student by a teacher. Parallel is a teacher who wants to engage in relations but hesitates. Which is worse - the act or the desire? The tension builds throughout each scene as the students grapple with their own understanding of sex and their role in the decisions that are made.

While the subject matter is surely weighty, there are scenes of wit and humor that had the audience clapping and hooting with delight. One scene in particular is performed completely in French, with subtitles on a screen. The effect was laden with sexual overtones between the student and teacher engaging in the aforementioned dalliance. The attempt to make explanations to the Headmaster was the first allusion to the coming struggles.

In the play the cast has a believable connection to the characters. Each of the young actors, while spouting pages of complicated dialog, has stage presence - something that veteran actors come to perfect over time. Becker comes off delightfully pompous, Tramontana is heartfelt in his passion for teaching and in his guilt, and Anderson plays the part with the tension necessary to show the inner conflict.

Irwin (Mark Anderson), Hector (John Tramantano), the Headmaster (Daniel Becker), and Dorothy Lintott (Vay David) play teachers who differ on the meaning of a proper education.

Music in the play, as in most films, plays an integral role. In scenes the young actors sing or play piano to bring the point home. A haunting duet by Stephen D'Amico as the troubled Posner and Christopher D'Amico as the sarcastic Dakin while Jacob Boergesson as Scripps plays piano is rather enlightening and foreshadowing. Throughout the play actors break the fourth wall, that is to say they speak directly to the audience as would a narrator. The insight gained with these monologues creates a heightened sense of awareness as the actors take their next marks.

The denouement comes when a tragic accident occurs and each is left to find their way ahead. Some simply go on and leave the past in the past while others are left haunted and conflicted. "The History Boys" is more than a lesson in history, it is an exercise in how we learn, how we are taught, and how interpersonal relations shape our futures.

 • "The History Boys," directed by Michael Disher, comes to the Southampton Cultural Center, Pond Lane, Southampton from Jan. 25 through Feb. 15. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. General admission tickets are $20, Student tickets are $10 (under 21 with ID). For reservations and tickets contact the Southampton Cultural Center at 631-287-4377 or reservations@southamptonculturalcenter.org.