The Habit of Art NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%

(61 Ratings)

Positive

85%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Clever, Great acting, Intelligent, Entertaining, Ambitious

About the Show

A new play exploring the unsettling desires of two difficult men, and at the ethics of biography.

Benjamin Britten, sailing dangerously close to the wind with his new opera, Death in Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, W.H. Auden. During this imaginary meeting, their first for twenty-five years, they are watched and interrupted by, amongst others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.

The Habit of Art explores friendship, rivalry, and the joy, pain, and emotional cost of creativity.

Show-Score Member Reviews (61)

100

Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Delightful, Clever

See it if A lovely production of Alan Bennett's clever play. This cast knows their author well and it is such a joy to watch.

Don't see it if A play within a play may confuse some people. The within play deal with a 20th century poet and a musician. Not lightweight conversation.

Really great, solid work all around, Droll discussion about edgy topic, Sensible staging, Lovely actors, Smart writing

See it if a smart and funny play about art, artists, beauty, taboo -- beautifully acted and staged -- appeals to you.

Don't see it if you're just gonna fidget when people talk passionately about ideas. Read more

Great writing, Masterful, Erudite, Riveting, Great acting

See it if you go for lighting-speed, Master-level intellectual banter; get all the references to Auden, Britten, Mann & the Tempest

Don't see it if you want an easy time in the theater. You will be lost if you dont get what they're all talking about.This one requires great concentration. Read more

Clever, Intelligent, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you want to see an intelligent and humorful play (and play within a play) dealing with what it is to be a craftsman in the arts.

Don't see it if you don't want to think & concentrate--or bother to learn who WH Auden & Benjamin Britten were.

Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Funny, Clever

See it if An intelligent & quite witty play. Actually, a play within a play. Great acting.

Don't see it if This show is written for a specific audience & will not be appreciated by the masses.

Masterful, Great writing, Great staging, Great acting, Clever

See it if Wonderful play by Bennett with excellent performances Saw it in London 2009 and play holds up well. Auden and Britten reunion

Don't see it if You do not like homosexual artists reminiscing

Makes you pay attention, Serious, Funny, Habits of benjamin britten & wh auden, Play within play

See it if desire playmaking that requires your attention, 2 peak into Britten & Auden's lives, 2 play with the formula of "regular" playmaking, go see

Don't see it if think playmaking about art & artists is "boring", need song & dance 2 enliven your experience, there is brief tuba sequence, hate Brit plays

Intelligent, Great writing, Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if One of the best plays about art and theater; masterfully written and expertly acted; great balance of seriousness and levity

Don't see it if serious british play

Critic Reviews (6)

CRITIC’S PICK: "...a creator’s isolation eventually gives way to collaboration: maybe maddening, bickersome and chaotic, but at least not solitary. Such is the nature of theater. Such are the habits of that particular art."
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“ 'The Habit of Art,' jagged with imperfections but still richly engaging, proves that Mr. Bennett is a first-rank playwright even if the play isn’t likely to be among his most enduring achievements."
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" 'The Habit of Art' thus operates on a third level: as a meditation on the nature of biography, suggesting questions about how much historical accuracy and verisimilitude matter in the search for broader truths."
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”Its tone is autumnal, its humor donnish and insular, its naughty bits left over from another era… It's all a jumble, featuring mordant thoughts juxtaposed with twee jokes and odd bits of theatre lore, and it's to the credit of director Philip Franks that it holds together as well as it does.”
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"With so much going on in 'The Habit of Art,' it feels as if Bennett in his serio-comic ruminating doesn’t quite blend the profuse ingredients...Nonetheless, Bennett’s gift for hilarity, for ribaldry within gravitas, remains."
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"Bennett’s bawdy, exhilarating tribute to the theater lovingly acknowledges the host of contributors, with their foibles and insecurities, who help make a work of art."
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Trailer

Creative team

The Original Theatre Company