An Honourable Man, the debut play from Westminster insider Michael McManus, is undoubtedly “a political play with a difference”, declares Terry Eastham in his four-star praise for the premiere production at the White Bear Theatre. What have other critics – including Mates Libby Purves (Theatre Cat), Anne Cox (Stage Review) and Emma Clarendon (Love London Love Culture) – been saying? We’ve rounded up some of our favourite review highlights below. Time to get booking!
“Brexit? Never mind Brexit. What if the Brexit vote, UKIP, even the BNP and the EDL – what if all that was just the beginning?”
Joe Newman is the mainstream Labour MP for a traditional, working-class constituency in the North of England – until Momentum try to oust him. Unwittingly, they unleash a populist tide that could destroy not only Labour and the Conservatives – but also every assumption anyone has ever made about what is acceptable in the mainstream of British politics.
The premiere production of Michael McManus‘ An Honourable Man, directed by Jolley Gosnold, stars Timothy Harker as Joe Newman, alongside Lisa Bowerman (as Anne), Max Keeble (Sam), Thomas Mahy (Josh), Dee Sadler (Liz) and Annie Tyson (Maggie), all reprising their roles from the summer showcase.
An Honourable Man runs from 20 November to 8 December 2018 at the White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London SE11. Performances are Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.30pm, with Sunday matinees at 4pm. Tickets are priced £18 (concessions £12). CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!
Review highlights
Libby Purves: “Michael McManus – writer, formerly of the Press Complaints Commission and IPSO – has been a special adviser in three government departments over decades, and made valiant attempts at getting selected himself. He knows the mould, and how mouldy it can get. So this fascinating, timely play is steeped in bitter experience… I enjoyed it no end, in a terrified sort of way… We all have to stare bravely into the centre-party abyss, do we not?”
William Russell: “The denouement is chilling… In politics, a day is a long time, as we are currently seeing, and McManus’s picture of the Apocalypse to come is all too chillingly credible. The British Trump could be waiting in the wings.”
Terry Eastham: “A political play with a difference… I really enjoyed An Honourable Man. As an example of the ‘be careful what you wish for’ style of storytelling, it definitely hit the spot.”
London Pub Theatres – ★★★★
Mike Swain: “A skilful dissection of modern British society and the stark exposure of a political system that is broken at both ends… The Truth news channel is one of the show’s gems… including most notably a key comment delivered by Kenneth Clarke.”
Anne Cox: “Steve Broster’s impressive news footage features soundbites from genuine Westminster players who offer commentary on Newman’s meteoric rise through the House… It adds an air of authenticity to the whimsical plot.”
Richard Maguire: “Timothy Harker is excellent as Joe Newman, perhaps an innocent caught up in cynical electioneering or perhaps a ruthless careerist, he represents an older England: despite his name, he never is the new man.”
Emma Clarendon: “Michael McManus attempts to deal with the thorny issues of Brexit and whether it is possible to stay honourable in the world of politics… Witty and entertaining… Fast and furious.”
Gary Naylor: “An Honourable Man is bold in its ambition… It’s an intriguing setup, one that sparkles through a first half that sees Newman tear up the old norms of Left and Right and literally throw ideas on to a wall and see what sticks… There’s biting satire.”
Sunita Jaswal: “A thought-provoking topical play by Michael McManus [that] charts the rise of a populist leader post-Brexit who taps into a fragmented society using immigration to get to the top… Current, gritty and uncomfortable.”
Telegraph: Why political playwrights have never had it so good
Michael McManus: “When I started work on my first play, I never dared to hope it might receive a full professional production.”
Conservative Home: When the old parties are swept aside
Andrew Gimson: “Michael McManus uses the theatre to explore the potential for an anti-immigrant party to break away not from the Tories, but from Labour.”
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