Bob Paisley brings a president closer in Bill Clinton Hercules

Bob Paisley sometimes takes center stage — not unlike Bill Clinton, whom he portrays in the single-actor show Bill Clinton Hercules.

It’s a role he debuted in Ireland and Scotland, where the former president’s “reputation is pretty high,” Paisley says, and many have met him. Paisley, co-founder of Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre and director of Central Standard Theatre, brings his political celebrity to KC May 6–9. The Pitch spoke with him by e-mail about this play, the Clintons and his theater work.

The Pitch: How did you come across and become involved in the play Bill Clinton Hercules? What drew you to it?

Paisley: It was all Guy’s idea. Four years ago, Guy Masterson, the accomplished British actor and my good friend, came to KC to perform Under Milk Wood for the British Invasion. As I dropped him at the airport to fly home to London, he casually suggested that I should play Clinton one day. I laughed. Crazy Brit. Three years later, Guy meets Rachel Mariner, an American lawyer and playwright living in England. As a young Harvard Law School graduate, Rachel was on President Clinton’s defense team during the Paula Jones case. Well … that’s how these things happen. Guy, with nearly 50 one-man shows to his credit as actor, director, writer or producer; Rachel, the award-winning playwright with firsthand accounts of Clinton, his administration and Beltway politics; and me, bringing some authentic Southern walk and talk — kind of like stars aligning.

You’ve performed this play in Scotland and, more recently, in Ireland. What was audience reaction in those countries, to the script and to the character?

It’s funny how many Europeans are well-informed on American politics. Of course, President Clinton was very involved in the Irish peace process in the mid-’90s, so his reputation is pretty high in Belfast and Derry. Many of the people who saw the play had met him during one of his visits. Nothing like a little pressure to deliver the goods. Much to my relief, their reaction to the play was very positive. And suddenly, everyone thinks I’m an expert and asks me questions on U.S. foreign policy.

Bill Clinton is not only alive but also an ongoing one-man show in his own right. What has been your approach to capturing his character onstage?

All one can do onstage is suggest a character and invite the audience along for the ride. A hint of the voice, a familiar gesture — these things go a long way to help capture a contemporary character. And, of course, I watched a lot of YouTube. My hardest thing is keeping up with a moving target. Bill and Hillary are in constant motion, and we all know that anything can happen in politics. I hope we can continue to be current with our script, at least through the election.

The play feels particularly timely, given Hillary Clinton’s stint in the State Department and her recently announced official entry into the 2016 presidential race. How does the play deal with the subject of Hillary?

Hillary is a force in her own right. Bill supports her run for the presidency but wonders if there isn’t a better way to get things done. In Bill Clinton Hercules, we wonder what will be the next incarnation of the former president. What do you do when your last job was “the most powerful man in the world”? Will Hillary become president? What will be his part in her administration, if any? As an ex-president, can he reach beyond politics to help make the future better than the past? Good theater must pose good questions to spur good discussion.

You’ve previously performed another one-man show, The Event. What are the challenges of performing solo? the benefits?

One-man shows are scary, there’s no way around it. It’s a lot of words, and you are alone onstage. For me, keeping focus is the hardest thing. Sometimes the slightest distraction can take you completely out of the game. Squirrel …?

What originally lit the theater spark for you?

All through my life, there have been mentors who fostered my interest in theater. Theater has always been a wonder. People gather in a dark room to share an experience that touches the emotions and sparks the intellect. So many different artists working in concert to evoke a story that can transport an audience to places they never dreamed. That’s powerful. I am lucky that I had such great teachers.

You’ve been involved in theater projects in both Australia and the U.K. Tell us about those and how they came about.

Our production of Driving Miss Daisy with Marilyn Lynch and Harvey Williams was a big success in Australia. Bedtime Solos by Jakob Holder opened to great reviews in Edinburgh. I owe a lot to Guy for introducing me to a new world of theater different than anything I’d seen before. These festivals are expensive and challenging on so many levels, but attending them can bring wider audiences, more work, and an exchange of ideas with artists from around the world. You can’t beat that.

What’s the worst thing that has happened during a performance?

I once performed Clinton with my fly unzipped. Afterward, someone told me that they thought it was an interesting choice that added something subliminal to the show.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve worked on?

Raising two kids. Takes a lot of work to build young people. We’re very proud of Holland and James.

What’s next?

Central Standard Theatre will present The Invasion, KC’s international theater festival, this summer in late July at MET, with shows from the U.K., Sweden and the United States.