Man to Man

Man to Man is a stage play by Manfred Karge, presented at The Royal Court Theatre in London, in which Tilda Swinton returns to the role of Ella/Max. It follows one woman's survival through the upheavals of 1930s Germany.

The play opens in Germany during the 1930s, where a widow adopts her late husband's trousers and keeps wearing them as the country around her shifts. Over the course of the story she lives through war, dictatorship, hunger and humiliation, and the drama centres on her determination to stay alive through each change.

Tilda Swinton plays the central role of Ella/Max, a part she first performed more than thirty years ago in the 1988 UK premiere, staged at the Traverse Theatre and the Royal Court. This revival brings back the creative team from that period, with Stephen Unwin directing and Bunny Christie designing the production, which is set to transfer to the Berliner Ensemble and later to New York.

The production is a theatre show staged in the Royal Court's auditorium, with the focus resting on a single performer carrying the narrative. Several dates are scheduled during this London run, including performances with British Sign Language interpreting, captioning and audio description.