Rory Kinnear shines in a witty exploration of what makes a good life
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What’s it about?
The Standard of Living is a new play by James Graham (Dear England, Best of Enemies), exploring the extraordinary life of British economist John Maynard Keynes and, in particular, the relationship between economics, art and what it really means to live a good life.
The play follows Keynes through some of the defining events of the first half of the twentieth century, while also exploring the much more personal and unconventional world he inhabited away from economics and politics.
Keynes was part of the Bloomsbury Group, friend to Virginia Woolf and lover of artist Duncan Grant, before marrying Russian ballerina Lydia Lopokova in 1925. His life therefore moved between two very different worlds: Whitehall and international economic policy on one side, and a circle of artists, writers and thinkers challenging conventional ideas about art, relationships and life on the other.
His commitment to culture went beyond his personal relationships. In the final years of his life, Keynes played an important role in establishing public support for the arts in Britain, becoming the first chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain.
It is a fascinating life from which to build a play, and one that allows Graham to explore a deceptively simple question: what is prosperity actually for?
What we loved
Rory Kinnear is brilliant as Keynes. His performance is a perfect blend of intelligence, wit and heart. His wonderfully dry delivery lands the humour effortlessly, and there is a warmth underneath the wit that makes Keynes enormously engaging. Kinnear is magnetic and it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role.
Natalia Osipova is equally lovely as Lydia and feels perfectly cast. Her role is an unusual mix of ballet dancing and acting, allowing us to see Lydia both as a ballerina and as the woman behind the public persona. Osipova's Russian accent and mannerisms bring an authenticity to the character that feels refreshing and completely natural. Kinnear and Osipova's very different performance styles also suit the unlikely relationship at the centre of the story.
James Graham's writing is very witty, with some wonderfully humorous exchanges between his characters. Perhaps the biggest challenge Graham faces is balancing the history lesson with an entertaining piece of theatre. There is a huge amount of ground to cover — Keynes's economic thinking, two world wars, political negotiations, the Bloomsbury Group and the development of public support for the arts — and the play needs to give us enough context to understand why these events matter without becoming a lecture. For the most part, it achieves that balance remarkably well. The history provides the framework, but it is the personalities, relationships and humour that keep the piece alive as theatre.
Anything we’d change?
The production largely uses an empty stage, with projections and sliding screens to delineate the different locations and scenes. Some aspects work better than others, but overall it was not particularly inspiring.
Given that this is a play populated by artists, writers, dancers and some of the most creative figures of the period, it feels like something of a missed opportunity. There could perhaps have been a more interesting and visually inspiring world created around them.
There are also moments when the structure feels slightly fragmented. Some scenes are very short and perhaps didn't need to be included as separate moments.
Verdict
The Standard of Living has an ambitious task: to turn economics and a substantial slice of twentieth-century history into an entertaining night at the theatre. For the most part, it succeeds, finding wit and humanity within some very big ideas.
The production itself doesn't always feel as visually imaginative as the people and ideas it is depicting, and some of the shorter scenes make the storytelling feel fragmented at times.
But Rory Kinnear is exceptional and Natalia Osipova brings warmth and authenticity to Lydia and proves an excellent counterpoint to him.
Ultimately, it is their relationship — and the collision between their very different worlds — that gives the play its heart.
Who created it?
Writer: James Graham
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Set Designer: Bob Crowley
Costume Designer: Jenny Beavan
Movement Director: James Cousins
Composer: Frank Moon
Ballet Consultant: Edward Watson
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
Sound Designer: Carolyn Downing
Projection Designer: Luke Halls