Clinton era is focus of Off-Broadway musical satire

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — 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 with previews beginning March 26 for an April 9 opening.

The musical satirizes the couple, who live in Chappaqua, N.Y., putting them back in the White House during the Monica Lewinski sex scandal. But rather than one commander in chief, the Hodge brothers have two actors playing 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.

"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 (Hairspray, 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. The script has been changed, with songs removed and added. "Even though it's a parody and satire, we've added heart since the NYMF show. And it's palpable."

"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. What we see in the press is not necessarily what's going on at home.' "

No matter your political leaning, Hearn said, Bill Clinton is a brilliant politician and here he wrestles with that other side of himself, the side that gets him in trouble.

Hearn said she has no concerns the musical, which will be directed by Tony nominee Dan Knechtges and is not suitable to those younger than 13, will be seen as a political document as the nation enters its next political season, one that might include a Clinton back 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. "It just happened to take place during the Clinton era."

Clinton the Musical

What: A satirical musical about the 42nd American president.

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. May be inappropriate for children younger than 13 years old.

Website:www.clintonthemusical.com