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HILLARY AND CLINTON
Written by Lucas Hnath
Directed by Joseph Mantello
Through July 21, 2019
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.hillaryandclintonbroadway.com

 

By David Nounou

After seeing Lucas Hnath’s 2017 A Doll’s House, Part 2, a follow-up to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in which Nora returns to her family after a 15-year absence (and all the drama she creates), I was intrigued to see what Mr. Hnath’s next play would be. Upon learning it was entitled Hillary and Clinton, I was giddy with anticipation over what twists he would bring to this world-renowned couple.

Starting out promisingly, we see Hillary (Laurie Metcalf) in 2008 explaining that flipping a coin five times results in one outcome, what are the chances getting the same results flipping that coin over and over again? What if another Hillary in another galaxy was doing the same toss of the coin, what would be the results there? Titillating premise for sure, but the results come up short.

Hillary is despondent that she has lost the Iowa caucus to Barack (Peter Francis James). Now, in New Hampshire, she is in third place, Barack still leading. She and her campaign manager Mark (Zac Orth) are discussing strategies, and he insists that she doesn’t call Bill (John Lithgow) for help. Everyone here is known by their first name. Mark has an offer from Barack’s team that if she drops out gracefully, Barack will pick her as his running mate, saying that it isn’t her turn now. Of course the first thing she does is call Bill for help. What ensues is bitter rancor and chastisements.

What is so frustrating is that in the 80 minutes in A Doll’s House, Part 2, so much happened, while in the same amount of time here, not much happens. After 40 minutes you hear Hillary say it is the end of Part 1, so naturally one assumes that the alternate universe would begin with what if she did run as Barack’s running mate? She wouldn’t have been secretary of state, she would not have been blamed for Benghazi and there may never have been a private server and who knows how the 2016 elections would have resulted in another galaxy? What possibilities to explore indeed. Instead we are served the blaming game and that Bill is the millstone around Hillary’s neck; she would be better off divorcing him and he would be nothing without her.

Laurie Metcalf’s riveting performance is what sustains one’s interest in the show. Without a Hillary wig, makeup or pantsuits, she is Laurie being Hillary in the most natural of ways and the performance is so luminous it could lead to an unprecedented third consecutive Tony Award for her.

John Lithgow as Bill also shines, but here he is more of a lead weight than the charismatic charmer that Bill still is. He is the man made by a strong woman standing behind him and in his shadow.

Joe Mantello as usual extracts every nuance from an otherwise lackluster show to keep it compelling. Pity he couldn’t extract or create that alternate universe. Instead, we have to be satisfied with another stunning performance from Laurie Metcalf as the heroine.

 

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 18, 2019

 

‘HILLARY AND CLINTON’: John Lithgow plays Bill. Photo; Robert Zuckerman