The History Boys came very well recommended and – aside from rumours of its overt homoeroticism – I went in knowing little of the story, yet with high expectations. Crowds are seldom wrong and this was no exception. As a theatrical experience it was nothing like any other amateur play I had ever seen.

Set in the 1980s, Alan Bennett’s play follows a group of witty and intelligent students who aspire to get into Oxford or Cambridge. The humble schoolroom is an appropriate setting for a comparison of the supposedly useless cultural knowledge taught by Hector (Matthew Clayton) with the sharp strategic minds that the Headmaster (hilariously acted by Tristram Fane-Saunders) wants the boys to develop. The fresh graduate Irwin (Guy Clark) is hired for this purpose and teaches the boys to push the boundaries of revisionist history and impress the Oxbridge examiners with original thought.

The acting is first-rate, in particular Hector’s adoption of the familiar deep, languid tone articulated by many a tweed-wearing Oxbridge academic. Clayton plays the charmingly aloof character so well that one almost takes a liking to him, until we learn of Hector’s tendencies to molest his pupils – an issue the script treats with surprising frivolity – and his selfishness in teaching them simply what pleases him.

Equally remarkable is the poignant scene in which Jewish student Posner (Aydan Greatrick) seethes with anger at the idea that the Holocaust could be, in Irwin’s words, “put into proportion.” Besides this, Greatrick adds to his formidable acting repertoire a wonderfully melodious singing voice in the boys' various musical outbursts. These moments are cathartic for Posner, who struggles with the realisation of his sexuality.

The director and his team emphasise with immense pathos the emotional complexity of this play, inviting us to contemplate the important contemporary issues of homosexuality and education. Unsurprisingly, the ADC was sold out – if there is time to grab a ticket, I suggest that you do so soon.