National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art 14 years old

National Theatre Live’s 2010 broadcast of Alan Bennett’s acclaimed play The Habit of Art, with Richard Griffiths, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour, returns to cinemas as part of the National Theatre's 50th anniversary celebrations. 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. Alan Bennett’s 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.

Credits

National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art Cast

Name	Character
Frances de la Tour She was 65, now 79 years old
Alex Jennings He was 52, now 66 years old	as Benjamin Britten
Richard Griffiths He was 62, 65 years old when he died	as W. H. Auden

National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art Crew

Name	Department
Alan Bennett as Creator. He was 75 (now 89) years old	Crew
Alan Bennett as Writer. He was 75 (now 89) years old	Writing