Philosophical Fairy Tale ‘Man and Superman’ to be Broadcast Live at CCA

Simon Godwin’s reinvention of Bernard Shaw’s witty 1903 classic “Man and Superman” will be broadcast live on the big screen at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine.

Academy Award-nominee Ralph Fiennes plays Jack Tanner in the sold-out stage production at the Lyttelton Theatre in London. “Man and Superman” is billed as a romantic comedy, an epic fairy tale and a fiery philosophical debate that asks fundamental questions about how we live.

Tanner, a celebrated radical thinker and rich bachelor descendant of Don Juan, seems an unlikely choice as guardian to Ann (Indira Varma), an alluring heiress. Despite the love of a poet, Ann decides she will marry and tame Tanner. When Tanner’s chauffeur tips him off to Ann’s plan, Tanner flees to Spain, where he’s captured by bandits and meets The Devil (Tim McMullan). A dream debate of heaven versus hell ensues. When Tanner awakens, Ann is there, as fierce in her certainty as he is in his.

Since 2009, NT Live has transmitted the best of British theatre live from London to cinemas and venues around the world. The broadcasts are filmed in front of a live audience, with cameras carefully positioned throughout the theatre to ensure cinema audiences get the best-seat-in-the-house view. Productions are transmitted via satellite to the CCA, then projected onto a 40-foot high-definition screen — one of the largest in the state.

Tickets, which are $18 for adults and $8 for students, are available online or by calling 207.581.1755, 1.800.622.TIXX.