‘Clinton the Musical’ Is Definitely Running Off Broadway

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Duke LaFoon (on sax) and Karl Kenzler (in suit) as two sides of one president in last summer's production of "Clinton the Musical."Credit Russ Rowland

For those who can’t get enough of Bill and Hillary Clinton – or want to see them lampooned in the tawdriest way possible – the stage satire “Clinton the Musical” is getting an open-ended commercial run at Off Broadway’s New World Stages complex, the producers announced on Tuesday. The show, which had a brief outing last summer in the New York Musical Theater Festival, focuses mostly on scandals in the Clinton administration (Monica Lewinsky features prominently) and splits the president into two characters – the diligent WJ and the roguish Billy – while portraying Mrs. Clinton’s character as politically ambitious.

The musical was created by two brothers from Australia, Paul Hodge (who wrote the score) and Michael Hodge (who wrote the book with his brother), and will be directed by Dan Knechtges, who recently staged the critically praised political parody “Tail! Spin!” A New York Times review last summer of “Clinton the Musical” commended the lyrics and lead performances (casting for the new run will be announced later) while describing the humor as “relentlessly low.”

“Clinton the Musical” will run at a 349-seat theater at New World Stages, starting performances on March 26 and opening officially on April 9. The lead producer is Kari Lynn Hearn, who has invested in several Broadway shows, and the executive producer is Ken Davenport, whose credits include “It’s Only a Play” and the 2011 revival of “Godspell.”