EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Interviews: Rachel Mariner, Writer Of BILL CLINTON: HERCULES

Writer Rachel Mariner speaks to BWW:UK about her upcoming Edinburgh Fringe 2014 play Bill Clinton: Hercules.

What can you tell us about Bill Clinton Hercules?

We live in a new dark age. Wars rage on and on. Life is worse every year for most people, not better. The earth itself is wounded. Europe is on the verge of fascism, the middle class is disappearing and democracy everywhere is controlled by money. Most humans feel themselves truly powerless to act.

Not Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton never stopped thinking about tomorrow. He believes the future can be better than the past. This belief is at odds with his new job as a footsoldier in Hillary's battle for the White House in 2016. He has this fantasy where he convinces her not to run.

President Clinton, the master raconteur, guides an intense trip through the extraordinary events of Clinton's life, Seamus Heaney's Cure at Troy, and the stories of Clinton's heroes, which shine a light that could make the path clear out of this dark age.

Is this your first visit to the Edinburgh Fringe?

No way. The King of the Fringe, Guy Masterson, directs Bill Clinton: Hercules. I am a Fringe junkie: hooked on the blast of enlightenment, the thrill of story, the challenge of being overwhelmingly entertained. I am looking to deliver. The actor, Bob Paisley, knows his way around both the Fringe and general Southern charm.

What kind of revelations can we expect to hear?

The little stories about his life that break your heart and the big stories from an angle you never saw coming. You may not like the way he talks about Monica but you won't forget it any time soon.

There are a lot of political shows at the Fringe this year- what sets your show apart?

It's hard to say when we haven't seen the other shows, but this show is full of joy and urgency and the possibility of a better world.

Do you have any must see shows while you're in Edinburgh?

I have tickets for Men in Cities, Unfaithful, Trial of Jane Fonda and I'll definitely see Torsten the Barebacked Saint, the Crack Mayor Play, the Gordon Brown plays, An Audience with Shurl, Kingmaker and of course Maggie, Queen of Soho. I dream of one day getting tickets to Daniel Kitson, but despite attending more than ten Fringes I can't crack it. Simon Munnery Sings Kierkegaard is definitely on my list. And I won't miss Masterson's new 30-person Animal Farm. That Eric Blair knew what the hell he was talking about.

Bill Clinton: Hercules runs from July 31st - August 24th.

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