Hillary and Clinton

Hillary and Clinton was written by Lucas Hnath in 2008. Hnath drew inspiration for the play from watching the 2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses and how the caucus was conducted, as well as from watching a segment of a voter question to Hillary Clinton a few days afterwards.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/22/lucas-hnath-lets-actors-fight-it-out-onstage|title=Lucas Hnath Lets Actors Fight It Out Onstage|magazine=The New Yorker|date=April 15, 2019|author=D. T. Max|access-date=October 9, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211009072912/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/22/lucas-hnath-lets-actors-fight-it-out-onstage|archive-date=October 9, 2021|url-access=limited}} Hnath described it as "a play about the Clintons that's not a play about the Clintons."{{cite web|url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2016/08/23/the-alternate-universe-of-lucas-hnaths-hillary-and-clinton/|title=The Alternate Universe of Lucas Hnath's 'Hillary and Clinton'|work=American Theatre|date=August 23, 2016|first=Kerry|last=Reid|access-date=March 18, 2019}} During its development stage, the play was workshopped at Victory Gardens Theater's Ignition Festival of New Plays in 2014 and then at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2015. The first read-through for the Victory Gardens Theater production took place in March 2016. Hnath had asked the original production team not to attempt to cast actors who resembled the real-life individuals they were to play, as he did not want the character portrayals to come across as impressions.

Hillary and Clinton premiered at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, where it was directed by Chay Yew and ran from April 1 to May 1, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://victorygardens.org/our-season/hillary-and-clinton/|title=Hillary and Clinton|access-date=March 18, 2019|publisher=Victory Gardens Theater }} Subsequent productions were staged in theaters in Philadelphia, Richmond, and Dallas. In all of these pre-Broadway productions, Hillary Clinton was portrayed by African-American women.

A Broadway production of Hillary and Clinton was announced in October 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/theater/hillary-clinton-broadway-hnath.html|title=Hillary Clinton Is Coming to Broadway. As a Character in a Play.|work=The New York Times|date=October 4, 2018|first=Michael|last=Paulson|access-date=March 18, 2019|url-access=limited}} and The Hollywood Reporter reported that the play had gone through major changes since its original run.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/laurie-metcalf-john-lithgow-star-broadway-hillary-clinton-1149081|title=Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow to Star on Broadway in 'Hillary and Clinton' (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 4, 2018|first=David|last=Rooney|access-date=March 18, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190319044512/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/laurie-metcalf-john-lithgow-star-broadway-hillary-clinton-1149081|archive-date=March 19, 2019}} The Broadway production was directed by Joe Mantello and starred Laurie Metcalf as Hillary Clinton and John Lithgow as Bill Clinton. It was produced by Scott Rudin, with set design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by Ann Roth, and lighting design by Hugh Vanstone.

Previews began on March 16, 2019 at the John Golden Theatre with the official opening on April 18.{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/hillary-and-clinton-starring-laurie-metcalf-and-john-lithgow-begins-on-broadway|title=Hillary and Clinton, Starring Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow, Begins on Broadway|work=Playbill|date=March 16, 2019|first=Olivia|last=Clement|access-date=March 18, 2019}} It was the first Broadway play to feature Hillary Clinton as a leading character.

The play closed on June 23, 2019. It was originally scheduled to close on July 21, 2019,Clement, Olivia. [http://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-hillary-and-clinton-to-close-early# "Broadway's 'Hillary and Clinton' to Close Early"] Playbill, June 17, 2019 but on June 18, 2019, it was announced the show was closing early due to poor ticket sales.Wulfsohn, Joseph A. [https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/broadway-hillary-clinton-closing-early "Closing Early"] foxnews.com, June 18, 2019

The play takes place in an alternate universe and centers on a woman named Hillary Clinton who is running for President of the United States in 2008. A few days before the New Hampshire primary, Clinton is in her hotel room trying to turn her struggling campaign around. Her campaign manager Mark advises her to concede the primary race and accept her opponent's offer to be his running mate. Against Mark's advice, Clinton turns to her husband Bill for assistance, but the two disagree on how much vulnerability Clinton must show to win over voters.

Critical reception to the original Chicago production was mixed. Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones praised Hnath's "audacious, whip-smart, highly entertaining" writing but was disappointed with the casting choices.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-hillary-and-clinton-play-ent-0412-20160411-column.html|title='Hillary and Clinton' review: When Bill tried to save Hillary|work=Chicago Tribune|date=April 11, 2018|access-date=March 18, 2019|author-link=Chris Jones (drama critic)|first=Chris|last=Jones}} The New York Times{{'}}s Charles Isherwood found the play to be overly restrained,{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/19/theater/politics-takes-center-stage-incarlyle-and-hillary-and-clinton.html|title=Beyond the Trump Show? Two Political Plays in Chicago Give It a Try|work=The New York Times|first=Charles|last=Isherwood|author-link=Charles Isherwood|access-date=March 18, 2019|date=April 18, 2016|url-access=limited}} while The Economist felt that Hillary and Clinton was at its "most interesting" when it looked at the political demands Hillary Clinton has had to deal with due to her gender.{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/prospero/2016/05/12/playing-the-woman-card|title=Playing the woman card|newspaper=The Economist|date=May 12, 2016|author=V.v.B.|url-access=subscription|archive-date=March 17, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190317192452/https://www.economist.com/prospero/2016/05/12/playing-the-woman-card|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2019}}

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{{Hillary Clinton}}

{{Bill Clinton}}

{{Barack Obama}}

Category:2016 plays

Category:American political plays

Category:Alternate history plays

Category:Broadway plays

Category:Works about Hillary Clinton

Category:Cultural depictions of Bill Clinton

Category:Cultural depictions of Barack Obama

Category:2008 United States presidential election in popular culture