Behind closed doors in the state of New Hampshire during the early days of 2008, a former First Lady named Hillary is in a desperate bid to save her troubled campaign for President of the United States. Her husband, Bill, sees things one way; her campaign manager, Mark, sees things another. If any of this sounds familiar, don't be fooled; in a universe of infinite possibilities, anything that can happen, will.
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.
If anyone could play Hillary Clinton, it's Laurie Metcalf - and here she is, in Lucas Hnath's 'Hillary and Clinton,' giving a performance that feels painfully honest and true. And if anyone could capture Bill Clinton's feckless but irresistible charm, that would be John Lithgow - and here he is, too. Who better to work with these actors, sounding the depths of these iconic figures, than director Joe Mantello, who is also on deck.
As directed by Joe Mantello (whose numerous Broadway credits include the recent revivals of 'Three Tall Women' and 'The Boys in the Band'), Metcalf and Lithgow (each a two-time Tony winner) give performances that are vulnerable but otherwise forgettable in the context of their distinguished careers. But what can you expect from asking them to play the Hillary and Bill Clinton of 'one of those other planet Earths'?
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