ANDY DRACHENBERG: Can you tell us about what made you interested in working on The Best Man?
KERRY BUTLER: First time I read the script I immediately fell in love with it. To work on The Best Man was exactly what I wanted to be doing right now in my career – it’s a bit of a change from other shows I’ve been in and roles I’ve played. I was excited to say yes – it seemed really timely, it was smart, funny, and had a great message.
AD: Where did you begin developing your character, Mabel Cantwell and prep for rehearsals?
KB: Well, I was really nervous going into a show with all these amazing actors!! But, I did a lot of work before we started rehearsals… e-mailing and talking with Michael (Wilson, the director), watching movies from the time period like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to get to know the women from that time better, and I also started watching a lot of Mad Men! I also wanted to explore accents from the Mississippi area, etc. It was fun to see how the world was interested in different things then than we are now. It was really helpful to get to know what was going on in the world at that time.
AD: What did you learn about the women from that time period and their public presentation?
KB: For Mabel (which is why I researched southern women), I found that she could present herself in a way that was always light and happy – even when she was giving an insult. She could be entertaining guests and she’ll say lines like ‘Oh, she looks horrible. Bless her heart!’ For me, not being a southerner, it was fun to find ways to play with those qualities of her character. I also began to notice how connected the women were to the men in their stories – they’re helping them by using their own strengths, even though sometimes they can appear at times to be seen as objects. I found Mabel plants a lot of seeds that her husband doesn’t always notice.
AD: Do you think Mabel and the other the women in The Best Man have their own agenda?
KB: Well, I think Mabel probably wants the presidency more than her husband wants it. She wants to be the First Lady. When I was researching, I read a lot of books about First Ladies, and it’s been really fun to notice how similar Mabel could be to historical figures like Ladybird Johnson. The entertaining and the party hosting lifestyle was a big part of politics for these people, and it’s how they won the people’s votes. So, Mabel makes herself a strong asset for Cantwell in a way that I think Alice might not be for Russell.
AD: Set in the 1960s, this production also addresses how this was one of the first political moments where mass media played a prominent role itself. Have you felt there was a special emphasis on that in this production?
KB: I think Michael specifically cast it in a way where the younger couple can ‘appeal’ more to the television audience. I think Gore might have written it that way too… it’s rumored he wrote The Best Man to help Kennedy win the election. It’s been very interesting to see how much television started to influence the story here, and how the political issues start to become less important than the likeability factor of the candidates.
AD: Along the same lines, mass media can create a pressure on these characters public persona. With Mabel being one of the most extroverted characters in the story, do you see her as a risk to her husband’s campaign?
KB: I think Mabel’s a great asset for the campaign. One of the women I’m modeling Mabel on is Mamie Eisenhower. There are news articles titled ‘Washington Admits They All Like Ike But Love His Mamie,’ and I think there’s something infectious about somebody who is so excited and appreciative to be where they are. When she’s on her game, I think she has a charm that can be very beneficial for Joe. Yes, she’s plotting and backstabbing, but who isn’t? As I was finding her back story, I began to see her as having had a very challenging life (like her husband Joe) struggling to get where she is now. I think the hope and dream of becoming the President or the First Lady is something all Americans can relate to.
AD: What do you think will be the most surprising part of the show for audiences?
KB: I think that people come in expecting the show to be a political drama (which it is…) but end up really surprised and how much humor there is. I’ve had friends come and tell me how they were surprised how much they cared about all of the characters.
KERRY BUTLER (Mabel Cantwell). Kerry Butler received a 2008 Tony Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for playing Kira/Clio in Xanadu.. Other Broadway credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, (Dora nomination), Blood Brothers, Eponine in Les Miserables, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, (Outer critics nomination),Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, (Clarence Derwent award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Sherrie in Rock of Ages, and most recently Brenda in Catch me if you Can (Drama Desk nomination). Among her television and film credits are: Blue Bloods, Rescue Me, 30 Rock, Cupid,Lipstick Jungle, Borough of Kings, Campfire Stories, One Life to Live Second Honeymoon, Sesame Street, Hometown, Another World, Twins (Pilot), as well as several live performances on national television shows.Kerry has worked Off Broadway and regionally in Bat Boy: The Musical, The Opposite of Sex at the Williamstown Theater Festival, Miracle Brothers at the Vineyard Theater, The I Word at the Ensemble Studio Theater, The Folsom Head at the Currican Theater, Prodigal at the York Theater and numerous readings and workshops of new musicals. Kerrys recordings include: Xanadu, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Bat Boy: The Musical, Prodigal, numerous demo cds and solo album Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust. A devoted mother and humanitarian, Kerry has been a member of ACS Childrens Services Family Preservation Program where she works with families teaching them life skills to keep the family unit intact. She supports the fight to end the genocide in Darfur, and supports the necessary environmental change to breathe cleaner air and have fresh drinking water around the world. Kerry resides in New York with her husband and daughter.