BERNARD SHAW – NT Live: MAN AND SUPERMAN

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George Bernard Shaw’s 1903 MAN AND SUPERMAN with more than 57,000 words, is an epic romantic comedy of manners, a witty social satire and presents a range of very profound philosophical arguments and other existential topics and theories.

Full of contradictions, the play is a comedy about ideas – most of the characters passionately discuss and debate a range of subjects including politics, capitalism, socialism, social reform, male/female roles in courtship. It definitely has a certain Wildean appeal, with a multitude of clever witticisms, about music and the morals of the English upper classes, whilst questioning the integrity of English politicians.

When first published it was pronounced as being unstageable, because its verbosity made it unwieldy.  The play asks fundamental questions about how we live, during its four acts lasting nearly four hours, and all the messages conveyed remain still very relevant today, and in its genre this play remains forever a provocative theatre landmark.

Shaw’s title, comes from Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophies concerning the ‘Übermensch’ (‘Superman’) and in the work Shaw delivers his idea/theory  of ‘The Life Force’, the force that drives all women to pursue a mate, in order to attempt to produce a Superman baby.

National Theatre director Simon Godwin, has tweaked the time from the year 1903 to the year 1958 (my best guess) and has also removed some of its original flaws, by adjusting the text for modern audiences.

This exhilarating and fresh version of MAN AND SUPERMAN now has a reduced running time (with one interval) of 220 mins approx.

For his production Simon Godwin has chosen a perfect cast, lavish video background imagery and sounds, frequent changes of well-designed costumes that look appropriate for the year 1958 and then back to the year 1660,  beautifully constructed expensive sets and props including the immaculate Roadster.

John Tanner (Ralph Fiennes) as the anti-hero, is the author of “The Revolutionist’s Handbook and Pocket Companion,” is a confirmed permanent bachelor. Despite the persistent and constant efforts of Ann Whitefield (Indira Varma) to make him marry her. Shaw’s play provides the opinion that in every human culture, it is the women who force the men to marry them. Expressed using modern terminology, whilst the man may think that he was the instigator and had taken the initiative, however ‘the woman always makes the buying decision’.

Showing in cinemas, via NT Live and Streamed Live direct from National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage, Ralph Fiennes plays one of the longest theatre roles for an actor, delivering more than 70% of the high speed dialogue, in George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Man and Superman’.

Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, Schindler’s List) plays both rich bachelor Jack Tanner plus is Don Juan in Hell during Act Three with Tim McMullan magnificent as ‘The Devil’, with in this extremely well cast production. Moreover I believe that is the best production of MAN AND SUPERMAN that you will see this century. Yes very strong words indeed, and everything in the text that was updated, worked just perfectly.

Ralph Fiennes, Tim McMullan, Indira Varma are all absolutely magnificent in their delivery, and the chosen blocking works flawlessly, with perfect performances particularly by those three, in concert with the huge cast.

All the cast provided a wonderful night of dialogue that entertained again and again, which will be remembered forever, because THE NATIONAL THEATRE still does not sell BLU-RAYs + DVDs of its NT Live theatre performances.

Using the stage revolve in Act Two, a cream-coloured Jaguar XK150 Roadster sports car from year 1958 appears centre-stage, and the car is later driven off the stage into the stage-wings, and the dialogue implies that the car is a new acquisition. In this scene, there is a deliberate mistake of using a cell mobile telephone (approx. 2010 model) to receive an important sms text message.

National Theatre Live – Season Five (2014-2015).

NT Live: MAN AND SUPERMAN is currently in limited screenings at selected cinemas from 27 June 2015.

DENDY NEWTOWN Encore Screening Announced for 6:00pm Tuesday 14 July 2015 http://www.dendy.com.au/Movie/National-Theatre-Live-Man-And-Superman

For more information, please visit the website –

http://www.sharmillfilms.com.au/?page_id=2197

 

Download and read MAN AND SUPERMAN the full 1903 script – – –
http://www.sandroid.org/GutenMark/wasftp.GutenMark/MarkedTexts/mands10.pdf – – –