ENTERTAINMENT

Hillary's running, Off-Broadway in 'Clinton The Musical'

Peter D. Kramer
pkramer@lohud.com
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, leave St. Ignatius Loyola Church after the funeral of former three-term governor Mario Cuomo on Jan. 6, 2015. The Clintons’ White House years are the focus of the satirical musical “Clinton the Musical,” coming to Off-Broadway’s New World Stages in March.
  • Director Dan Knechtges was Tony nominee for "Xanadu."
  • Kerry Butler%2C another "Xanadu" Tony nominee%2C played Hillary in a reading last fall
  • Producer Kari Lynn Hearn says 2 men play Bill Clinton%2C as "Saturday night Bill and Sunday morning president"

It's official: Hillary's running.

Off-Broadway, starting this spring.

Producers announced this week that "Clinton The Musical" — a hit at last summer's New York Musical Theatre Festival written by Australian brothers Paul and Michael Hodge — will come to New World Stages in Manhattan, with previews beginning March 26 for an April 9 opening.

The musical satirizes Chappaqua's most famous couple, putting them back in the White House during the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Two actors play the 42nd POTUS — one the presidential "W.J. Clinton," the other a randy, fun-loving "Billy" — making for a different kind of double Bill.

"We've got the Saturday night Bill and the Sunday morning president," said producer Kari Lynn Hearn. "We've got two Bills, but there are really two sides to every story, whether it's Newt or Kenneth Starr or Hillary or Monica."

Ah, yes, Monica.

In this image taken from video, Monica Lewinsky embraces President Clinton as he greeted well-wishers at a White House lawn party in Washington Nov. 6, 1996. The Clinton White House years are parodied in the new Off-Broadway musical, “Clinton the Musical,” this spring.

"The girls who auditioned for Monica all must have woken up that morning and said, 'I have the perfect blue dress,' and they must have gotten to the holding room and gone, 'You must be kidding,' " Hearn said. "They were all in blue dresses. We had one come in with a stain on her dress. They were pulling out berets. They got creative."

The Off-Broadway cast has not been set, but a reading last fall included Tony nominee Kerry Butler ("Xanadu") as Hillary Rodham Clinton. Alan Campbell played "W.J. Clinton" and Duke LaFoon was "Billy."

"Hillary is the only one who can see both sides, and the conflict between them," Hearn said. "Even though it's a parody and satire, we've added heart since the NYMF show. And it's palpable."

Does that make Hillary an object of pity?

"I wouldn't say there's pity," Hearn said. "I don't think Hillary is a character, in general, that warrants the pity. She doesn't allow it. But it allows us to see the human side. She was criticized for taking him back. As a woman, I think we all have to say, 'You know what? There are two sides to every story.' "

Hearn has no concerns that the musical, which will be directed by Tony nominee Dan Knechtges, will be seen as a political document as the nation enters its next campaign season, one that might include a Clinton on the ballot.

"While it's called 'Clinton the Musical,' it's an equal opportunity show for both sides to come and be able to laugh at the political process," she said.

'Clinton the Musical'

Where: New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

When: Previews begin March 26; opens April 9; through Sept. 6.

Tickets: $75 to $95.

Web: www.clintonthemusical.com