Britten has been auditioning boys for Death in Venice nearby, and arrives unexpectedly (their first meeting in 25 years after they fell out over the failure of their opera Paul Bunyan).
He wants to discuss his misgivings about the paedophilic theme of Death in Venice and the light that may cast on his own life, but Auden assumes Britten wants him to write the libretto.
[3] The music by Britten includes: ‘The Ash Grove’, The Turn of the Screw, Peter Grimes and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Michael Billington (The Guardian) said it was a ‘superbly fluid production ... and is beautifully acted’;[5] and Charles Spenser (The Telegraph) says ‘The Habit of Art is another absolute cracker, often wonderfully and sometimes filthily funny’.
[7] Billington suggests that the play ‘is at its strongest when it deals with the theme implicit in its title: the idea that, for the artist, creativity is a constant, if troubling imperative’.