Trousers On, Tilda Swinton Brings Man to Man to the Lucille Lortel
The Oscar winner takes the solo play she originated in 1987 to Christopher Street, with previews February 21 and an opening on February 28
Tilda Swinton brings Man to Man, the solo play she originated in 1987, to the Lucille Lortel Theatre Off-Broadway, with previews from February 21, 2027 and an official opening on February 28.
Playbill reported the dates on Tuesday. The production's own site, MantoManPlay.com, bills it as eight weeks only at 121 Christopher Street, with a presale opening Wednesday, October 21 at 10 a.m. Eastern. One actor, one hour and twenty minutes, one small room in the West Village.
Off-Broadway is the tier of smaller professional theaters outside the Broadway district, and a solo play in a house like this leaves an actor nowhere to hide. That suits the material. Its heroine spends a lifetime hiding in plain sight.
What Is Man to Man About?
Man to Man is a one-person play by the German writer Manfred Karge, who wrote it in 1982 under the title Jacke wie Hose. It is set in 1930s Germany. A woman's husband dies, and she puts on his trousers and takes his identity.
She never takes them off. According to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, she lives as him through war, dictatorship, hunger and humiliation. Swinton plays both names on the ledger, Ella and Max.
The Traverse lists the running time at about one hour and twenty minutes and the age guide at 14 and up. It is the kind of evening that works best close in, with the audience near enough to watch the disguise hold and slip.
Swinton remains an electrifying presence.
That line comes from the Financial Times, quoted on the production's website alongside a five-star notice from The Stage.
Why Is This a Homecoming?
Swinton created the part. The Traverse commissioned the original production, and she played Ella/Max in the play's UK premiere in Edinburgh in 1987, directed then, as now, by Stephen Unwin. The production transferred to the Royal Court in London in 1988, according to the show's site. Playbill gives 1988 for the premiere itself, but the Traverse, which staged it, and the production's own history both date the premiere to 1987.
The revival opened at the Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Downstairs on September 5 as part of the theater's 70th anniversary season, Theatre Weekly reports, and plays there through October 24. It is Swinton's first stage role in more than three decades.
The text is Anthony Vivis's English translation, revised by Unwin, who directs again. Bunny Christie designs. Ben Ormerod handles lighting, Elena Peña sound, Matt Powell projections and Kane Husbands movement, Playbill reports.
Ellen Gledhill, the Traverse's executive director, calls the play "a remarkable piece of theatre that continues to reveal something new with each generation that encounters it." Seeing Swinton revisit the role, she says, is "a rare privilege."
Who Is Bringing It to New York?
The producers are Brian and Dayna Lee, the Royal Court Theatre, the Berliner Ensemble and Madison Wells Live, per Playbill. The route runs through three cities first. After London comes the Traverse, from October 29 to November 7, where every one of the eleven performances is listed as sold out. Tickets there ran from 15 to 45 pounds.
Then Berlin. The Berliner Ensemble takes the production in February 2027, according to Theatre Weekly. New York follows within weeks.
That is a long road for one actor and a pair of trousers. It also lands her in a crowded late winter for big names in small rooms. Daniel Kaluuya makes his American stage debut in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Grass at the Park Avenue Armory, with previews from February 19, an opening on February 26 and performances through March 28, Playbill reports.
The one-person show is having a season in this city. For another star alone on a stage, see Andrew Scott in Sea Wall.
When Do Tickets Go on Sale?
The presale starts Wednesday, October 21 at 10 a.m. Eastern through MantoManPlay.com. General sales follow later in October at 10 a.m. Eastern, though Playbill does not give the day. New York prices have not been announced.
The key facts in one place. Previews begin February 21, 2027 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street. Opening night is February 28. The run is billed as eight weeks. The box office opens three hours before each performance, according to the show's site.
Expect the presale to move fast. Edinburgh sold out before the company even arrived.
Nearly forty years ago Swinton put on a dead man's trousers in a small theater in Edinburgh. This winter she wears them on Christopher Street, and New York finally gets to watch.
