Good news Broadway fans! Hillary and Clinton is about to grace the glittering stage this March. We’ve got everything you need to know about this production.
The former First Lady and 2016 presidential candidate and the 42nd President of the United States of America have experienced no shortage of drama in their lives. These controversies have frequently been featured in news headlines not just in the US, but also the entire world. From adultery scandals to personal email controversies, there has always been more than enough story to be told. But this time around, it’s moving past the online and news print. Hillary and Clinton is going big on Broadway.
Casting has officially wrapped up and the debut is only a couple of weeks away. We hope you are as excited as we are! We’ve gathered everything you need to know about Broadway’s exciting new adaptation. Read ahead for all the juicy details.
Hillary and Clinton Cast and Crew
Of course, we expect nothing less for perhaps one of the most famous real-life married couples in America today! Broadway is definitely pulling out all the stops for this production. From director to actors, “Hillary and Clinton” is shaping out to be the smash mid-year hit for Broadway.
Award-Winning Cast
Broadway favorites Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow are returning to the Great White Way this spring to star as Hillary and Bill Clinton. Metcalf is a two-time Tony winner for Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women” and “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” Aside from these, the seasoned actress also scored an Oscar nod in 2018 for “Lady Bird” as well as an Emmy nomination for “The Conners.”
Meanwhile, Lithgow also has his fair share of awards in his decades-long career as an actor on and off Broadway. He’s been nominated for six Tonys, and he won two of those. In 2017, he also won his sixth Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill on Netflix’s “The Crown.”
The casting of these two accomplished actors have always been well received, being Broadway veterans and having a history of stunning performances on screen. This time around though, the anticipation is even greater because of the highly controversial personalities they will be portraying as.
Metcalf and Lithgow are supported by Zak Orth as Hillary’s campaign manager, Mark Penn. Peter Francis James will be Barack Obama himself.
Stellar Crew
Produced by Scott Rudin, directed by Joe Mantello and written by Lucas Hnath, you can definitely say there’s minimal to no room for error on this one.
“Hillary and Clinton” is to be the fifth play this season produced by Rudin, who’s also very much involved in the production “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Adronicus,” the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Waverly Gallery” and “King Lear.”
Dubbed as “Broadway’s Invisible Wizard” by the New York Times, Mantello is the expert when it comes to directing Broadway hits. Mantello is the man behind the curtains of the billion-dollar musical “Wicked” and “The Boys in the Band.” At 56, he has already won two Tonys for “Take Me Out” and “Assassins” and nominated for “Three Tall Women.”
As for the playwright, Hnath made his first foray off Broadway with his critically acclaimed 2015 hit “The Christians.” He then firmly established himself on the Broadway scene with his Tony-nominated “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” This was also where he first worked with the Hillary Clinton to be, Laurie Metcalf.
The creative team includes Chloe Lamford (Set Design), Ann Roth (Costume Design), and Hugh Vanstone (Lighting Design).
Hillary and Clinton Story Line
Two-time Tony Award® winners Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow star in HILLARY AND CLINTON. Primarily a comedy. Previews begin March 16. Tickets: https://t.co/QqwxcFcBvc #HillaryAndClinton pic.twitter.com/stbTfnnomr
— Hillary and Clinton (@HillaryAndCBway) November 4, 2018
“Hillary and Clinton” is a play that depicts a 2008 evening in the life of a presidential candidate named Hillary Clinton (Metcalf), behind closed doors in the state of New Hampshire. Hillary is in a desperate bid to save her troubled campaign against a more charismatic opponent. She then calls on her husband for help.
Her husband and former President, Bill (Lithgow), struggles to agree with her campaign manager, Mark, on how involved he should be in his wife’s campaign. Bill sees things one way, Mark sees things another.
According to an announcement released on in October 2018: “In Hillary and Clinton, Lucas Hnath examines the politics of marriage, gender roles, and the limitations of experience and inevitability in this profoundly timely look at an American dynasty in crisis.”
Other Notable Hillary and Clinton Productions
There have been many productions since the play was written, but this will be the first time “Hillary and Clinton” is going to reach Broadway.
The play was first staged in 2016 at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. This was also the when the real Hillary Clinton was on her way to becoming the Democratic nominee for president. There have been productions since at the Philadelphia Theater Company, at HATTheater in Richmond, Virginia, and at the Second Thought Theater in Dallas. In each of those productions, just like the one in Chicago, Hillary was played by an African-American woman.
Aside from these, a musical featuring a fictionalized Mrs. Clinton, called “Soft Power,” had a production in Los Angeles and San Francisco last year and was revised for the Public Theater, which is off Broadway.
Tickets and Schedule
Hillary and Clinton previews begins on March 16th, 2019, with an official opening night set for Thursday, April 18th at the iconic John Golden Theatre in New York. As for the tickets, price ranges from 90 to 9000 USD depending on your chosen seat. For more details about ticket availabilities, prices, and dates, click here for the best deals!