From the writings of James Graham to the recent revival of the Jesus Ministers, political theater is all the rage. And for it to be successful, there always needs to be a strong comedic aspect. That’s natural. Politicians are certainly an interesting group. Some of them are “interesting”, but most of them are “one more interesting”. Reaching the top requires extraordinary stamina, effort, and luck. You also need to be able to cause people to die and get a good night’s sleep afterwards.
A valuable part of this theater is written based on first-hand experience. I’m an unusual playwright. So far he has worked with four different prime ministers. I am a middle-aged person who has just started acting. And I also have a background in conservative politics.
My first job was at the Conservative Party Research Service in 1990, working with David Cameron, Edward Llewellyn, who later became David’s No 10 chief of staff, and Steve Hilton, who was already forming as Svengali. David always seemed destined to be a star, but one of the qualities that first caught my eye was his extraordinary memory, which made him equal parts labor policy and Monty Python sketches. It was an enviable ability to be cited in equipment. Like the later Prime Minister of Etonia, he always used humor and wit in public and private life, and clearly understood how great an influence laughter could have on the construction of a building. Esprit de corps and maintain personal loyalty. Even in the office, it was always like showtime.
Within three months Margaret Thatcher was ousted as Prime Minister and came to bid us all farewell. Although she did intend to retire, she explained that she would be a “very good backseat driver.” The laughter in the room was mixed with nervous voices. She knew exactly what she was talking about. And of course, she delivered that line brilliantly for maximum effect.
I recently came across some thoughts on political theater that the late Harold Pinter warned against preaching and advised that characters must be allowed to “breathe their own air.” I discovered this truth myself. In my play Maggie and Ted, which depicts the strained relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Edward Heath, I worked for both of them at different times, and I was able to explore the enormous complexity and complexity of these two characters. It was necessary to discover the essence of a person’s personality and create a fresh drama from it. they. I wanted it to be honest but balanced, portraying the strengths and weaknesses with equal candor and letting the audience decide which they preferred. But I did appreciate Heath’s private secretary’s brief rant against Brexit. One night there were boos in the West End, and cheers the next in response. Lessons learned; but what lessons, exactly? Perhaps the greatest challenge for political playwrights is not simply to preach their own gospel, but to convincingly, even empathetically, create characters whose views are radically different from their own; In other words, it may be about making people laugh and making them laugh.
