A clever, thought-provoking play competently performed, 'The History Boys', by Alan Bennett, now running at the City Hall theatre, is the Gilbert and Sullivan Society's first venture into drama and a happily successful one.

Set in a school in the northern industrial town of Sheffield, the play centres on the school's efforts to support eight candidates sitting the entrance examinations for Oxford and Cambridge. Though the nuances of the social and geographical snobbery of 1980s Britain might escape local audiences, the themes of what is knowledge, what is the purpose of education and what is history are universal.

So are the boys' emerging sexuality and growing self-awareness. As it follows the efforts of two teachers with entirely different approaches to prep the boys for the exams, the play investigates the relationships the boys have with their teachers, each other and their subject, History.

Replete with literary and cultural allusions, double-entendres, quips and memorable one-liners ("history is one f—-ing thing after another"), the dialogue is clever and witty. The plot explores serious issues, and the outcome is somewhat sombre, but there are also some very funny scenes: the French lesson on the subjunctive mood is, as my Scottish husband would say, "pure, dead brilliant", and is carried off by the young cast with aplomb.

Bennett toys with the genre itself, using several techniques including flashbacks, asides and self-aware observations to add commentary and depth to the action on the stage.

The play is full of paradox from the opening lines "the loss of liberty is the price we pay for freedom" to the complex characters of the history masters, Irwin, urbane and cynical, and Hector, passionate but deeply flawed. The headmaster, "the chief enemy of culture in any school", is more concerned with school ratings and the Governors' opinion than the welfare of his students. And the ultimate paradox is the boys' attitude to Hector.

The acting itself was sound, with Robbie Godfrey standing out as the slick, clever Irwin drafted by the headmaster to challenge the boys' traditional approach to their subject. Michael Jones manages to make Hector sympathetic despite his unsavoury behaviour.

Jenny Burrell's portrayal of the pragmatic, Mrs. Lintott, sticking strictly to the facts, but with a suppressed feminist edge, added depth to the cast. Andrew Dobson's headmaster with the dodgy motives was convincingly self-serving.

The young actors, all high school students, rose to the challenge of their very demanding roles.

Occasionally the diction was not clear, understandably perhaps for opening night, some lines were fluffed, and the comic timing wasn't always crisp, but generally the acting was sound. Rowan Vickers was particularly competent as the slick, self-confident, slightly predatory Dakin. Matthew Wedlich's portrayal of the anguished Posner (gifted a particularly striking line: "I'm Jewish. I'm homosexual. And I'm from Sheffield. I'm f—-ed.") showed a depth of understanding of his character.

The production was interesting, with a variety of media, including music and film clips, used to create the social context of the play. The elements of the spare, slightly shabby set were used effectively, and the lighting design helped underscore the shifts in mood.

Director Matthew McGowan is to be commended for bringing this demanding production successfully to the local stage, and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society are to be applauded for adding this modern classic to their portfolio of significant productions.

The History Boys runs nightly until May 22 at the City Hall Theatre at 8 p.m. Tickets $30 available on line at www.premiertickets.bm.