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.
The play is as zippy as A Doll's House, Part 2, but whereas that felt new, fresh, and subversive, Hillary and Clinton feels like very old and well-trodden ground, a mash-up of every single argument you've ever heard (with very little new insight) in favor and against Hillary Clinton.
Metcalf is alternately steely, frantic, no-nonsense, desperate and steadfast - and she makes every one of those transitions while looking simultaneously backward and forward. She's cautious. She's deliberate. She's beyond smart. She will never be president. Lithgow keeps it extremely light playing a Bill Clinton that would delight a Trump voter. He's not the bumpkin John Travolta gives us in 'Primary Colors,' but he does eat pizza, wears obscenely short jogging trunks and has no shame when it comes to seducing voters.
2019 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Laurie Metcalf |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Laurie Metcalf |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Laurie Metcalf |
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