Tilda Swinton in Man To Man at Royal Court Theatre, 9 Sept – 24 Oct 2026

Man to Man is a solo play by Manfred Karge about a German woman named Ella Gericke, who adopts her deceased husband’s identity and clothing to keep his job and survive in 1930s Germany.

While Man to Man primarily addresses economic desire rather than trans or queer desire, theatre scholars and critics often analyse the text through a queer lens, focusing on gender performativity. The play examines how masculinity and femininity are socially constructed roles that individuals can adopt, perform, and ultimately discard.

When Ella’s husband dies of cancer, Ella puts on his trousers and becomes “Max” to avoid poverty and joblessness. As Max, she navigates a harsh male-dominated world and shifting political regimes. The narrative tracks decades of turbulent 20th-century German history—spanning war, Nazism, dictatorship, and post-war division—through her solitary, claustrophobic internal monologue. The play explores the psychological toll of sacrificing one’s true identity just to stay alive. 

Originally premiering in the 1980s and famously starring Tilda Swinton (who self-identifies as queer), the production uses a dream-like, fractured narrative style to reflect the heavy burden of survival. 

Translated from German by Anthony Vivis and revised by Stephen Unwin (2026), the play reunites members of the original creative team, including director Stephen Unwin, designer Bunny Christie and lighting designer Ben Ormerod. 

The production runs at the Royal Court Theatre to Saturday 24 October. Then it runs at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 7 November 2026. In 2027, Man to Man transfers to the Berliner Ensemble with a premiere on 9 February 2027 and will run in New York in Spring 2027, with further details to be announced.

Rehearsal images courtesy of Royal court Theatre.