The Standard of Living

The Standard of Living is a world-premiere play from Olivier Award-winning writer James Graham (Punch, Dear England, Labour of Love) arriving in the West End for a strictly limited 12-week season. Directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, One Man, Two Guvnors, Giant), the production stars Olivier Award winner Rory Kinnear alongside Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova, making her West End debut.

The play follows the extraordinary life of economist and Bloomsbury Group figure John Maynard Keynes, whose world spans the corridors of Whitehall and the vibrant, unconventional circle of artists, writers and lovers around him. As financial markets collapse, old institutions falter and Britain edges toward turmoil, Keynes becomes consumed by a profound question: what is a good life? Filled with music, dance, wit and emotional depth, the production offers a powerful portrait of a man determined to imagine a better future.