Sam McArdle’s one-man black comedy The Manny, about an Irish male nanny who works for rich single mums in West London, runs at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington this month, touching on themes including loneliness, a lack of connection, and the struggle to find a sense of belonging and purpose. We spoke to Sam about his debut play.

You are about to present the world premiere of your play The Manny at the King’s Head Theatre in London. Did you ever envisage that this would happen, or did you feel it was just a dream scenario?

When I started off writing the show, I was in a very different head space to what I am in now. It was 2020, I had quit acting, and had zero confidence in myself as a performer, and Covid had hit. WE WERE ALL F*CKED! I had started writing this show just in 10 minute blocks as a form of therapy, as a way of processing the ideas of failed dreams, and this pressure I had on me at 31 to be "settled". I was far from it!

I was  living in my parents spare room back in Dublin. I was feeling a little lost and sorry for myself when two things happened. Firstly, the biggest show of the year was a drama about young people from Trinity College Dublin, and it's two leads became stars after it. It was Normal People. I had gone to Trinity, I had once been that age (even though I was still young!) and hilariously, I had asked to audition for the lead role, not knowing how young he was! I experienced that traditional feeling of actor's envy. I felt like my time in life had passed me by, and that my entire social circle had found their life partner, dream job etc. and I was drowning. I really wasn't in a good place mentally. Then the second thing happened.

One night I couldn't sleep and turned on Netflix. I saw that a new sports documentary had just dropped. It was called The Last Dance. It was about the Chicago Bulls basketball team, it was also about the mentality behind their talisman Michael Jordan. Watching that show was like getting cold water thrown on me (and as many a friend can attest to, I yelp like a big bay when I jump into the sea!) I realised that I had lost my self-confidence and my drive. I was blaming others for my situation and thinking too reactively, too harshly on myself. I decided to change that. I decided to spend every morning working on the show, and then working out 5/6 days a week. I committed myself to a daily routine of exercise, meditation and writing. I started making cooking videos on my instagram which also included parodies of movies e.g. American Psycho Vegan Breakfast. These cooking videos helped me get my self confidence back, and also work on my (hopefully) comedic timing.

After the first few drafts of the play, I realised that it was no longer a form of therapy, but it was a show that I wanted to put on, in front of an audience, in front of an industry, and get back to doing what I love. From December 2020 onwards, it was all I thought about. I moved back to London in July 2021, did the show at a scratch night at a friends pub, my first time performing in over 4 years. I needed to prove that I could do it. Now here we are.

What inspired you to write the play?

The play is loosely based on my own time working as a male nanny in West London. But I also wanted to write a commentary on bigger themes. So as well as the topics of anxiety, societal pressure, and loneliness in your 30's, I also wanted to talk about the sometimes transactional nature of dating apps, the curated photos, and the image that we can portray to social media, which can be in contrast to how we really are.

What can audiences expect from the production?

Well hopefully they will find it funny! If not, we're screwed. I think they can expect to see a show that is inspired by shows such as ‘Fleabag’ and ‘I May Destroy You’. It's about characters who reveal the best and worst of themselves in situations. It's about three characters who are all a little lost in their own way, and are looking for connection. We have The Manny, who is enjoying a 'Peter Pan-esque' lifestyle of well-paid cash in hand work and settling for cold, casual and meaningless dates with women who harmonise Happy Birthday with their eyes closed, just to disguise himself from the fact that he's letting life go by without following any real purpose, or allowing himself to really feel anything substantial or lasting. Throughout the story, he meets Molly, a once-hopeful actress  who is now becoming increasingly disillusioned with her life, as she sells beetroot brownies in Borough market, as opposed to playing Cleopatra on Broadway. She, in herself, is settling for a life of settling down with someone who is not right for her, but he is financially secure and is a 'safe bet'. The two are drawn to each other. Molly has never met someone who she views as free and non-conforming to what is expected. But she also sees something deeper in him, that he doesn't. The Manny is drawn to Molly, as he has never met someone who so steadfastly believes in a passion, and continues to do so, despite the toll it has on her mental health. Finally, we meet Michael. He is a 7 year old seemingly irredeemable right wing child, and a product of a loveless marriage. He has no father figure, no example that can be set to guide him in life. But something about the morally grey figure of The Manny appeals to him, as the two look to navigate their own sense of hurt and belonging in the show.

Are there any real-life situations that you experienced that you couldn’t include in the play?

The Michael character is loosely based on one or two children I looked after! But in terms of the other characters we meet, they're all based on elements of people I've met in life. In terms of being a Manny, my actual life was a lot more standard and drama-free. My job did basically consist of picking up the kids from school, cooking for them, playing WWE wrestling with the young boys, and making sure the teenagers got home ok etc. But there's no drama in that, so I wanted to write about a morally grey character, and explore the themes I talked about.

Do you have anything in mind to write about for your next project that you can tell us about?

This is the first time I've ever written anything so I'm really enjoying the whole learning process. I'd love to write more. I'm a huge sci-fi fan, and that dystopian Blade Runner-like world has always appealed to me. But for now, I want to focus on The Manny. I want to take this show to more and more theatres, and I've also written a pilot for a TV show based on this play. Those are my two goals for 2023.

The Manny plays at the King’s Head Theatre from 10-14 January, with tickets available here.