Paul Miller still laughs at the vast understatement made by Nicholas Hytner, one of his collegues at London's National Theatre. They were discussing Alan Bennett's comedy, "The History Boys," and Hytner said, "I think Alan has written a good play. I think it could run 60 performances."

"What are we at now, 600 performances?" Miller asked with a slight chuckle. "But at that first performance, the public went mad and we knew we had something exciting."

The National Theatre's production of "The History Boys" opened in 2004 to rave reviews in London, where it won the Olivier Award for best play. It then made its way across the pond to Broadway in 2006, where it won six Tony Awards, including best play for Bennett and best direction for Hytner. That same year, a film version of the play was released to similarly glowing reviews.

Now the stage version is touring America, this time with Miller at the helm. It begins performances Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

"The History Boys" centers on eight students in 1980s England preparing for the entrance exams to Oxford and Cambridge. Their intellectual guides on this journey are two teachers: Hector, who believes in the purity of education, and Irwin, whose lessons about the harsh realities of getting ahead in life are in direct conflict with his colleague.

Ben Brantley called the coming-of-age play "madly enjoyable" in his New York Times review and added, " you are reluctant to leave, even after two and a half hours of sitting."

Bennett, now in his 70s, is enjoying the biggest hit of his career with "The History Boys." He first came to prominence with the satirical revue "Beyond the Fringe" in 1960 and later received an Oscar nomination for the adaptation of his stage play "The Madness of King George III" in 1994.

Although Miller directed the successful United Kingdom tour of "The History Boys," he'll still be scrutinized by some to see if the show lives up to the standards set by Hytner's version.

"I had a long history with the National Theatre, and recently under Nick I've done quite a lot," Miller said. "I think he wanted somebody who could put a bit of a fresh eye on it. And even though Alan's writing is the same, a new cast makes the work entirely different."

Part of that new cast is Peter Paige, who portrays Irwin. Best known for his five seasons as Emmett on the Showtime series "Queer as Folk," Paige had only 15 hours to prepare for his audition.

"I had seen the play and noted that the role was one I would like to do," Paige said. "I prepared two monstrous scenes, read one and got an adjustment from the director. I did it again. He said that was fine, and I left without even doing the other one. I figured I didn't get the part. Then the call came."

Paige recalled a few teachers who greatly influenced him, in particular the woman who taught his English class in his senior year of high school.

"She was about 4-foot-10 and she had polio," he said. "She never raised her voice above a whisper and she was the most intimidating person I had ever encountered. She demanded we think, which, as you know, is not a hallmark of the American education system."

Getting people to think is a key component to "The History Boys," according to Miller and Paige. The director and actor said Bennett succeeds because he never talks down to his audience, yet the work is accessible to everyone.

"Alan credits them with huge intelligence," Miller said. "He's also created a play with many layers and great depth, with a lot of charm, and it seems to connect with everyone."

Apparently, 600 performances is just the beginning.

— E-mail freelance columnist Jeff Favre at jjfavre@yahoo.com.