Man Equals Man, also known as A Man's a Man, is an early play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. Set in British colonial India, it explores themes of war, identity, and human fungibility through the transformation of a civilian into a soldier, reflecting Soviet-inspired collectivism. First staged in Düsseldorf and Darmstadt in 1926, it was produced by the “Brecht collective” in Berlin, emphasizing New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) aesthetics. The play features anti-illusionistic devices inspired by sport and includes the surreal farce "The Elephant Calf.” A notable modernist work, it was praised as “the most powerful and original stage play of our time” by Radio Berlin in 1927.
Texts
In the current publication, the Arcade edition was translated from Brecht's final revision in 1954 by Gerhard Nellhaus (and by Brecht himself, who made his own English version of the first scene). The Bentley translation is based on public domain material of 1926, many years before Brecht finished revising the play.7
Productions
In 1931, Brecht himself directed the play, in Berlin starring Peter Lorre.8
In 1986, the Hyde Park Theater Company in Hyde Park, New York produced the play starring Bill Murray as Galy Gay. The cast included Stockard Channing as Widow Begbik, Josie de Guzman, Al Corley, Mark Metcalf and Murray's brother, Brian Doyle-Murray. Tim Mayer directed, with music by, among others, Van Dyke Parks.
In early 2014 the Classic Stage Company in New York City produced the play. Brian Kulick directed, and Duncan Sheik composed instrumental and vocal music. The cast included Jason Babinsky, Justin Vivian Bond as Widow Begbik, Gibson Frazier, Martin Moran, Steven Skybell, Stephen Spinella, Ching Valdes-Aran as Mr Wang, Allan K. Washington and Andrew Weems.
Works cited
- Willett, John and Ralph Manheim. 1979. Introduction and Editorial Notes. Collected Plays: Two by Bertolt Brecht. Bertolt Brecht: Plays, Poetry, Prose Ser. London: Methuen, 1994. ISBN 0-413-68560-8.
Notes
References
Full Catalogue Archived 6 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine http://www.methuen.co.uk/titles.php/isbn/0413685608 ↩
Bertolt Brecht and the Politics of Secrecy by Eva Horn, p. 7 ↩
Herbert Lüthy, Du Pauvre Bertold Brecht. 1953 ↩
Willett and Manheim (1979, viii-ix). ↩
Man Equals Man and The Elephant Calf Archived 16 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine http://arcadepub.com/book/?GCOI=55970100546120 ↩
Marowitz, Charles (2 January 1972). "If a House Is on Fire and I Cry 'Fire'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 July 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/02/archives/if-a-house-is-on-fire-and-i-cry-fire-bond-if-i-cry-fire-.html ↩
Man Equals Man and The Elephant Calf Archived 16 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine http://arcadepub.com/book/?GCOI=55970100546120 ↩
Squiers, Anthony (2014). An Introduction to the Social and Political Philosophy of Bertolt Brecht: Revolution and Aesthetics. Amsterdam: Rodopi. p. 186. ISBN 9789042038998. 9789042038998 ↩