Man Is Man

Man Is Man is one of Brecht’s most successful comedies. First produced in 1926, it centres on a squad of British soldiers near the Afghan-Indian border and their frantic, drunken cover-up after looting a local temple. Desperately trying to replace their AWOL comrade, the squad trick a local packer, Galy Gay, into taking his place. But this involves coercing Galy Gay out of his own identity and into another. As he deftly toys with the role of human identity in a time of war, Brecht creates a frenetic dark comedy of cruelty, ignorance and fear, populated by lusty war criminals, mysterious priests, and, of course, a fake elephant.

Man Is Man is directed by Steam Industry associate director Mervyn Millar, whose work with installation/theatre specialists wireframe (www.wireframe.org.uk) includes North Hill Relay, At Home (‘pure unadulterated joy’ – Total Theatre, ‘genuinely interactive, intriguing and involving’ – Evening Standard), and a forthcoming commission for the visions2002 international festival in the Fabrica gallery in Brighton. Previous productions for the Steam Industry include: On Line and Paranoid in the Sentimental City, Cells, The National Theatre, Final Call, and The Grapes of Wrath (with Phil Willmott). The Steam Industry has been the resident company at the Finborough Theatre since 1994; their work has also been seen at the Drill Hall, The Open-Air Theatre Regent’s Park, and BAC.