Tilda Swinton’s New York stage debut brings her back to a role she created in 1987
Swinton will bring the solo play Man to Man to the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2027, nearly 40 years after she first performed the role.
Tilda Swinton is set to make her New York stage debut in Man to Man at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2027. The solo play brings her back to a role she originated in 1987, with previews scheduled to start February 21 and opening night set for February 28.
The Off-Broadway engagement is planned as a strictly limited eight-week run. Swinton is currently performing the role at London’s Royal Court Theatre, so the New York dates extend a revival already under way rather than introducing a new production of the play.
What is Man to Man about?
Manfred Karge’s play is set in 1930s Germany. It follows a woman who takes on her dead husband’s identity and lives as Ella/Max while the country passes through war and dictatorship. Swinton performs the story alone onstage.
The part has a long history with Swinton. She originated it in 1987 in a production first commissioned by Scotland’s Traverse Theatre, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That production transferred to the Royal Court in 1988. Her current London performance marks her return to the role decades later.
Where will the production play before New York?
Before arriving at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the revival is scheduled for limited runs at the Traverse Theatre in Scotland and with the Berliner Ensemble in Germany. The New York engagement follows those stops and the current Royal Court performances in London.
The revival reunites Swinton with director Stephen Unwin and designer Bunny Christie, who worked on the original production. Deadline also credits Anthony Vivis with the translation and Unwin with revisions, connecting the new staging to the team behind Swinton’s first turn in the role.
Deadline reported that producers Brian and Dayna Lee, the Royal Court Theatre, Berliner Ensemble and Madison Wells Live announced the New York engagement. The announced schedule sets February 21, 2027, as the first performance and February 28 as opening night at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
The production’s return to New York gives audiences there their first chance to see Swinton on a local stage. Its route also takes the play back through the Traverse and Royal Court, the two theatres tied to its original run, before its Off-Broadway dates.
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Sources and context
- Tilda Swinton to Star Off-Broadway In Solo Show ‘Man to Man’The Hollywood Reporter
- Tilda Swinton Sets New York Stage Debut In 'Man To Man' This WinterDeadline
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.