The Standard of Living Tickets

Witness the fascinating life, career, and lasting impact of the radical economist John Maynard Keynes, played by Rory Kinnear, as he searches for the key to a better life as Britain teeters on the edge of chaos. Dear England's James Graham brings Keynes' remarkable story to life with his signature cleverness and thoughtfulness that blends the personal with the political.

Why you should watch The Standard of Living

• Radical economist Keynes had a fascinating private life and career, which are rarely explored, making this a thrilling chance to get an insight into one of the greatest minds of his time.
• James Graham (Punch, Quiz, Ink) is one of Britain's most prolific and insightful dramatists, known for his ability to blend history, economics, and politics with powerful storytelling, and we can't wait to see his take on Keynes' remarkable life.
• The Standard of Living features a talented cast, including Olivier Award winner Rory Kinnear, who will bring the brilliant and complex Keynes to life onstage.

What is The Standard of Living about?

The Standard of Living is a brand new play by three-time Olivier Award winner James Graham that explores the life, legacy, and revolutionary ideas of John Maynard Keynes, the British economist and founder of Keynesian economics. Keynes became the singular driving force behind arts funding in Britain and built a new and fairer financial model, which ultimately helped reshape the Western World in the aftermath of the First World War. Witness the fascinating details of Keynes' extraordinary life, from his love affair with the artist Duncan Grant to his friendship to writer Virginia Woolf, his place among both the corridors of power in Whitehall and the radical circle of writers and artists of the Bloomsbury Group. Keynes searches for the answer of what makes a good life as markets crash, old systems crumble, and Britain teeters on the edge of chaos.

The Standard of Living is directed by multi-award winner Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, One Man, Two Guvnors, Giant) and features set design by Olivier Award winner Bob Crowley (Giant, The Inheritance, An American in Paris). Olivier Award winner Rory Kinnear (Hamlet, Skyfall, The Diplomat) stars as Keynes, while Royal Ballet Principal Natalia Osipova makes her West End debut as the celebrated ballet dancer Lydia Lopokova, who fell in love with and married Keynes. Filled with music and dance, desire and debate, The Standard of Living is thrilling, funny, and moving in its unflinching portrait of one of the greatest minds of his time. This powerful piece of drama asks the question: Can art, love and human connection reshape the future before it's too late? Or is the world too addicted to wealth and power to change?

Don't miss the world premiere of this bold new play that paints an intimate portrait of one of the most influential economists of all time.