ALAN Bennett’s latest play, The Habit Of Art, will make its North West debut at The Lowry, in Salford Quays, from October 5 to 9.
Benjamin Britten, sailing uncomfortably close to the wind with his new opera, Death In Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, WH Auden.
During this imagined meeting, their first for 25 years, they are observed and interrupted by, among others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.
Bennett’s new play is as much about the theatre as it is about poetry or music.
It looks at the unsettling desires of two difficult men, and at the ethics of biography. It reflects on growing old, on creativity and inspiration, and on persisting when all passion’s spent: ultimately, on the habit of art.
The Habit Of Art is Bennett’s fifth play for the National Theatre.
His last play, The History Boys, opened at the Lyttelton in 2004, toured nationally and internationally, and played for two seasons in the West End and on Broadway.
Among its many awards were the Laurence Olivier, Tony and Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, and the South Bank Show Award for Theatre.
* The Habit Of Art will run from Tuesday, October 5 until Saturday, October 9 at the Lowry, Salford. Tickets cost £16-£29. To book, visit thelowry.com or ring 0843 2086005.
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