Michael McManus – Favourite Things

Michael McManus is a writer, playwright, campaigner and former parliamentary candidate. In 2001, he was the Conservative candidate for Watford and has worked for three Conservative Prime Ministers. In 2003, he helped to set up and run the first-ever national, cross-party campaign for a UK referendum on Europe and from 2012 to 2014 ran the press complaints commission (PCC). He is currently working on two plays coming out later this year.

These are a few of Michael McManus’ favourite things…

The rehearsal room

This truly is “the room where it happens”. From the first gathering to the highly-charged introductions over coffee and the snatched lunches – here is the essence of theatre. When theatres closed in March last year, I was just beginning rehearsals for a double bill of new, single-act plays. We barely made it into the rehearsal room then. But, 18 months later, how sweet it will be when we all leave Zoom behind and assemble in person once more. There is nothing quite like the rehearsal room and, as a relative latecomer to theatre, I shall always feel privileged to be in there. I hope to be spending a lot of time in rehearsal rooms in 2021 and beyond. I am excited to be book-ending the pandemic with that cancelled double bill from March 2020 at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington at the end of August and then reviving my political play Maggie and Ted (about the Heath-Thatcher feud) at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, in October.

The voice of Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman was an African-American singer who died in 2019. She had become an infrequent visitor to the UK in recent years, but at the time I was first learning about (and falling in love with) music and developing my musical tastes, she lived in London and performed here a lot. Perhaps under the influence of my Hungarian side, I often found my way into her dressing room after concerts and got to know her reasonably well. She certainly had an imperious quality, which apparently made her increasingly difficult as a colleague, but in her prime, I found her charming and delightful. If anything suggests to me the existence of God, a hint of the divine, it is surely this voice. I shan’t describe it – music at its best simply transcends language – but I recommend that everyone should hear Jessye at least once. Start with her legendary recording of Richard Strauss’ valedictory Four Last Songs, recorded in Leipzig in her early prime. Transcendental.

My diary

I have always kept an occasional diary, but since 2013 I have written a daily diary. Often it’s a tiresome chore, but during the pandemic, it has provided a degree of certainty, vital structure and discipline. I know I am not alone in having found my sense of time weirdly distorted in the past 18 months and the diary is a saviour. Frequently I look back, to precisely one month, three months, six months, a year ago and my reward is a vivid reminder of the fluctuating state of mind I experienced through the pandemic, for most of which I was entirely alone, apart from the dreaded Zoom. It is a kind of “time anchor” as I digest the fact of a “lost year”. It’s hard work, but I wouldn’t be without it – now, more than ever.

Peace and quiet by the sea

I’m an urban creature and I live near the centre of London on a main road. While I am therefore inevitably inured to most of the hustle and bustle of city life, I cherish the rare treasure of peace and quiet. In March and April last year, like so many others, I reassessed my environment as the roads fell almost silent and I could hear birdsong across Kennington, Vauxhall and Camberwell. Nothing clears the ears, the head and the soul more gloriously than the seaside and if, God willing, we get back to normal, or close to it, then I shall cherish returning to all my favourite resorts to reboot and purge the neurotic consequences of all the clamour of London. Aldeburgh and Southwold, Frinton and Worthing, Bispham and Fleetwood, here I come. Just one full hour without the growling rasp of an ill-tuned motorbike and I simply know my soul will soar again.

My wok

Living on my own through a pandemic was pretty tough. Like millions of others, I couldn’t have endured it completely alone. Several friends, old and new, very much came into their own and with their help, I even managed to craft and stage an entirely new piece of theatre during the summer relaxation of 2020. In practical terms, however, nothing was so obviously indispensable as my non-stick wok. I use it for everything – curries, frying eggs, mushrooms, veggie burgers – then wipe it down and it’s ready for use again. It is the most extraordinary ally – undemanding, reliable and easy to store. In my time in politics, the media and the theatre, I have never had another ally quite like it.

Enjoyed Michael McManus’ Favourite Things? Explore the full Favourite Things archive here.