The Standard of Living Tickets

The Standard of Living in London

Brand new political drama, The Standard of Living, comes to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, just off Picadilly. This explosive new play from three-time Olivier winner and Tony nominee James Graham, one of the UK’s most exciting playwrights, tells the story of groundbreaking economist John Maynard Keynes. Directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Olivier winner Rory Kinear and world-famous ballerina Natalia Osipova in her West End debut, The Standard of Living fuses desire, dance and debate in a moving, funny portrait of a man who fought for a better world.

What Is James Graham's Standard of Living About?

Trailblazing economist, conscientious objector, friend to artists, philosophers, and innovators: John Maynard Keynes was more than just a statistician. This brand new play explores Keynes's ideals and his various roles - husband to famous ballerina Lydia Lopokova, lover to painter Duncan Grant, peer to Virginia Woolf and member of the Bloomsbury Group, and his work, from bank clerk to government advisor, to board member of the Bank of England. As markets crash and Britain's economy threatens to descend into chaos, Keynes fights to create a system that offers something better, consumed by the question: what is a good life?

Who is John Maynard Keynes

Keynes is "Britain's most famous 20th-century economist" (The Economist) and is often considered to be the father of “modern macroeconomics” (aka a field of economics that studies the structure and behaviour of the economy as a whole). Keynes is also the founder of Keynesian economics, which challenged the concept of a free market by presenting the idea that governments should intervene during times of economic hardship, to prevent high unemployment rates and severe recessions, by increasing public spending.

The Standard of Living West End Cast

• Rory Kinear as John Maynard Keynes
• Natalia Osipova as Lydia Lopokova
   

Further casting is to be announced.

The Creative Team of The Standard of Living

The Standard of Living is written by James Graham. Graham is a Nottingham-born playwright and screenwriter, best known for writing dynamic, fictionalised play adaptations of real-life events, which are often politically charged. His credits include Quiz, about the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire cheating scandal, This House, which was set during the Hung Parliament election of 1974, and Ink, about the 1969 rivalry between tabloid papers The Sun and The Mirror.

Graham’s recent drama Punch, which told the devastating true-life story of a man who killed someone on a night out with a single punch, sold out multiple runs in London and transferred to Broadway, and his football play Dear England recently received a revival at the National Theatre, as well as a TV adaptation, aired during the World Cup. Graham is a three-time Olivier winner, a Tony nominee and an OBE for his services to drama and young people in theatre. In 2024, the New Statesman included Graham in their guide to “the 50 most influential people in progressive politics".

Nicholas Hytner directs. Hytner is a Tony, Olivier and BAFTA award-winning director and the former artistic director of the National Theatre. In 2010, Hytner was knighted in the New Year Honours for his services to drama. Notable credits include Miss Saigon, The History Boys, and One Man, Two Guvnors.

Tickets for The Standard of Living at Theatre Royal Haymarket 

You won’t want to miss the latest play from “unstoppable hitmaker” (Time Out) James Graham, helmed by legendary director Nicholas Hytner and starring award-winning performers Rory Kinear and Natalia Osipova. This brand-new drama follows one of the UK's major economic figures, in another razor-sharp examination of power, policies and pounds from the three-time Olivier winner. Secure your tickets for The Standard of Living at the Theatre Royal Haymarket today!