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First Look $25: April 29 at 2:00 and 7:00
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The Habit of Art

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Overview

Produced by:
Original Theatre
Dates:
April 29 - May 28, 2023
Run Time:
1 Hour, 55 Minutes
Intermission:
Yes, included in run time.
Theater:
Showing in Theater
Tickets:
$60 - $80 (59E59 Member price: $50)
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Show Info

By Alan Bennett
Directed by Philip Franks

With Matthew Kelly, Stephen Boxer, Benjamin Chandler, Jessica Dennis, Robert Mountford, Veronica Roberts, and John Wark

Original Theatre (Caroline’s Kitchen, Brits Off Broadway 2019; Invincible, Brits Off Broadway 2017) return to 59E59 Theaters with the US Premiere of The Habit of Art by one of Britain’s most prolific playwrights Alan Bennett (The History Boys, The Madness of King George, and Talking Heads). 

Benjamin Britten, sailing uncomfortably close to the wind with his new opera, Death in Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, W.H. Auden. During this imagined meeting, their first for twenty-five years, they are observed and interrupted by, amongst others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.

The Habit of Art looks at the unsettling desires of two difficult men, and at the ethics of biography. Exploring friendship, rivalry, and heartache this multi layered masterpiece examines the joy, pain, and emotional cost of creativity.

Matthew
Kelly
Stephen
Boxer
Benjamin
Chandler
Jessica
Dennis
Robert
Mountford
Veronica
Roberts
John
Wark
Adrian Linford,
Design
Max Pappenheim,
Sound Design
Johanna Town,
Lighting Design
Matthew Kelly in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo Caption: Matthew Kelly in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo: Helen Maybanks
John Wark and Benjamin Chandler in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo Caption: John Wark and Benjamin Chandler in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo: Helen Maybanks
Matthew Kelly in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo Caption: Matthew Kelly in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo: Helen Maybanks
Matthew Kelly and Veronica Roberts in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo Caption: Matthew Kelly and Veronica Roberts in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo: Helen Maybanks
Matthew Kelly and John Wark in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo Caption: Matthew Kelly and John Wark in THE HABIT OF ART
Photo: Helen Maybanks
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Producing Company

Original Theatre Company

We are the Original Theatre Company and we have been touring extensively all over the UK (and as far as the US) since 2004 and have become one of the leading digital theatre producers in the UK. We love to make theatre. We love to tell stories. But most of all we love to thrill, excite and engage audiences.

Read more at: www.originaltheatre.com

Reviews

★★★★★ "Witty, moving, laugh-aloud funny and understatedly profound...the cast uniformly stunning" – The Guardian

★★★★★ "A new play by Alan Bennett is a dramatic treat like nothing else. It's like sipping champagne in a big armchair beside a crackling fire...carries you along in a wave of pleasure." – Mail on Sunday

"Original Theatre has done it complete justice. This is one of the most impressive theater webcasts" – Wall Street Journal (on The Habit of Art streaming)

Schedule & Tickets

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Upcoming Performances