Ben Daniels Powers Revolutionary Rattigan Revival at National Theatre
An extraordinary performance from Ben Daniels serves as the driving force behind this revelatory new take on Terence Rattigan's finance drama Man and Boy, currently captivating audiences at the National Theatre on London's South Bank. Running from 11th February through 14th March 2026, Anthony Lau's production represents a significant departure from traditional interpretations of Rattigan's work, liberating the playwright from conventional naturalistic constraints.
A Groundbreaking Approach to Classic Theatre
While Man and Boy may never displace The Deep Blue Sea or The Browning Version as quintessential Rattigan works, this revival carries a significance that transcends the actual choice of play. Lau's production marks the first Rattigan staging that completely throws off the shackles of naturalism, joining Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Ibsen as playwrights whose work can withstand radically innovative interpretations while maintaining their dramatic integrity.
Designer Georgia Lowe's distinctly Brechtian, wilfully anachronistic set creates a billiard table-like spread of green with carefully selected period decor including a wireless and dial phone. The centrepiece features a series of metal-legged, Formica-looking tables that deliberately challenge historical accuracy, while a very long dot matrix printed financial report adds to the production's unconventional aesthetic. Perhaps most ingeniously, an actual cast list displayed on the back wall in retro font illuminates the names and roles of performers as they appear on stage.
Daniels' Transformative Performance
Ben Daniels delivers what is easily the best stage performance of the year to date as Gregor Antonescu, a Machiavellian Romanian-born financier whose accounting discrepancies threaten to trigger a fresh financial crisis while derailing a gargantuan merger. Rather than playing Antonescu as another stereotypical Rattigan protagonist - a posh, witty middle-aged man with a plan - Daniels brings a soft but impeccable south-east European accent and distinctly un-banker-like appearance to the role.
His performance radiates psychotic bonhomie, suggesting an affable character who could flip into violence at any moment. Daniels presents Antonescu as seethingly dangerous, with menacing shark-like charm punctuated by flashes of bottomless rage and unsettling insectoid physicality as he prowls and scuttles over the tables. He creates a frightening, unpredictable amalgam of JP Morgan and Joseph Goebbels, representing unconstrained global elites while remaining uniquely individual.
Supporting Cast and Production Elements
Laurie Kynaston delivers a strong performance as Antonescu's estranged son Basil, portraying a boozy but sweet-natured character who has spent five years hiding from his father yet remains fascinated by him. Kynaston wisely offers a traditional interpretation that allows Daniels' extraordinary performance to take centre stage when required, creating effective dramatic contrast.
The production benefits significantly from Angus MacRae's wild, jazzy score, which combines with the innovative staging to give the entire production a sense of danger, unpredictability, and transcendence of specific time and place. This liberation from period constraints proves particularly effective for Daniels' performance, allowing him to explore the character's psychological depths without being confined by historical accuracy.
Historical Context and Contemporary Relevance
First staged in 1963 when Rattigan had famously fallen out of fashion, Man and Boy contains more overt theatricality than The Deep Blue Sea and other Rattigan classics. The play's exploration of financial manipulation and paternal relationships resonates strongly in contemporary society, where global elites continue to influence lives with delusions of godlike grandeur.
Daniels' Antonescu emerges not as a 1930s financier but as an otherworldly, inhuman entity motivated not by greed but by a desire to manipulate and control - an avatar of humanity's worst instincts. Despite the first half concluding with howling, feral triumph, Antonescu's eventual resolution proves as remarkable as his victories, featuring a character who takes every possible gamble before abruptly calling it quits without bitterness.
A Landmark Theatre Experience
Whether or not the source material contains inherent flaws, this production represents an extraordinary couple of hours of theatre. The performance of the year comes wrapped in a wild production that tears up everything audiences thought they knew about staging Terence Rattigan. For those seeking groundbreaking theatre that challenges conventions while delivering exceptional performances, this revival of Man and Boy at the National Theatre offers an unmissable experience that redefines what classic drama can achieve in contemporary staging.
