The Royal Court Theatre, Berliner Ensemble and Brian and Dayna Lee have announced a major new production of Man to Man, starring Tilda Swinton in her first stage role since 1988.
Opening as part of the Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season, the production will run in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 5 September to 24 October 2026 before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from 29 October to 7 November. The production will then continue internationally with a run at Berlin’s Berliner Ensemble in February 2027, followed by a New York engagement in spring 2027.
Written by Manfred Karge, translated by Anthony Vivis and revised by director Stephen Unwin, Man to Man reunites several members of the original creative team, including Unwin, designer Bunny Christie and lighting designer Ben Ormerod.
More than 30 years after first performing the role at the Traverse Theatre and Royal Court Theatre, Swinton returns as Ella/Max in a production that marks her first live theatre appearance since the original run.
Set in 1930s Germany, Man to Man follows a woman who puts on her dead husband’s clothes and never removes them. As war, dictatorship and hardship reshape the world around her, she struggles to survive while assuming a new identity.
The production was originally staged by Stephen Unwin in 1987 at the Traverse Theatre before transferring to the Royal Court, establishing itself as one of the defining theatre collaborations of Swinton’s early career.
Joining the returning creative team are sound designer Elena Peña, projection designer Matt Powell, movement director Kane Husbands, design associate Verity Sadler, props supervisor Lily Mollgaard, associate director Eleanor Burke and voice coach Hazel Holder.
Swinton is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive performers of her generation, with screen credits including Orlando, Michael Clayton, Suspiria, The Souvenir, Memoria and numerous collaborations with Wes Anderson. She won the Academy Award and BAFTA for Michael Clayton and received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2020.
Playwright Manfred Karge wrote Man to Man in 1982 under its original German title Jacke wie Hose. The work has since been translated into multiple languages and staged internationally, becoming one of his best-known plays.
Director Stephen Unwin said the 2026 production revisits the play for a new generation while retaining the creative collaboration that made the original production so memorable.
The production forms part of a milestone year for the Royal Court Theatre, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary season with a programme of new work and major revivals.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
