Movie spotlight
Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Schindler’s List, Oedipus at the National Theatre) plays Jack Tanner in this exhilarating reinvention of Shaw’s witty, provocative classic. Jack Tanner, celebrated radical thinker and rich bachelor, seems an unlikely choice as guardian to the alluring heiress, Ann. But she takes it in her assured stride and, despite the love of a poet, she decides to marry and tame this dazzling revolutionary. Tanner, appalled by the whiff of domesticity, is tipped off by his chauffeur and flees to Spain, where he is captured by bandits and meets The Devil. An extraordinary dream-debate, heaven versus hell, ensues. Following in hot pursuit, Ann is there when Tanner awakes, as fierce in her certainty as he is in his. A romantic comedy, an epic fairytale, a fiery philosophical debate, Man and Superman asks fundamental questions about how we live.
This National Theatre Live production features Ralph Fiennes as Jack Tanner, a wealthy and determined bachelor determined to avoid marriage. Tanner's nephew, Roebuck Ramsden, is in love with the independent Ann Whitefield, who, to Tanner's dismay, pursues him relentlessly. The play explores themes of love, marriage, freedom, and the nature of power through Shaw's sharp wit and philosophical depth.
As a live theatre broadcast, critical reception focuses on the production's staging, performances, and faithfulness to Shaw's text. The 2015 production was generally praised for its dynamic direction and strong central performances, particularly Ralph Fiennes' interpretation of the titular role.
Ralph Fiennes delivers a commanding performance as the patriarchal protagonist.
Simon Godwin's direction brings a fresh energy to Shaw's classic text.
The production successfully captures the intellectual sparring and romantic entanglements of the play.
Google audience: Audience feedback for National Theatre Live broadcasts is often enthusiastic, highlighting the opportunity to experience acclaimed stage productions with high production values.
George Bernard Shaw originally wrote 'Man and Superman' in 1903, and it is divided into four acts, with the third act famously featuring a philosophical dream sequence set in Hell.
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What a piece of work is “Man and Superman”? Hard work, to be frank. George Bernard Shaw’s experimental juggernaut — deemed unstageable in 1903 — makes for three and a half hours of tangled philosophy: a blow-away light comedy weighed down b...