Lucas Hnath’s ‘Hillary and Clinton’ at Philadelphia Theatre Company (first review)

Hnath astutely perceives that the Clintons, like so many couples, are temperamental opposites whose differences explain both their professional successes and their emotional shortcomings.

Bill, the incorrigible man-child, shrewdly senses that his endearing frailties enhance his political appeal; Hillary, the no-nonsense adult, is tired of “taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves” and frustrated by all those years she has spent “watching other people do what I know I can do better.” In her quest for what has previously been a man’s job, Hillary rejects Bill’s suggestion that she display her softer feminine side: “The moment you say you’re weak,” she insists, “that’s when you lose.” This is a Hillary Clinton who, for all her determination and savvy, fails to grasp the essential truth articulated by La Rochefoucauld more than three centuries ago: “The man who lives free from folly is not so wise as he thinks.”

Emotional needs

The action takes place in a New Hampshire motel room on the eve of that state’s 2008 primary election, which Hillary expects to lose to Barack Obama. Bill’s presidency is more than seven years behind them, and his affair with Monica Lewinsky is 10 years past; Hillary’s turn as secretary of State and (perhaps) president are at this point the stuff of dreams. Bill has been told to stay away from New Hampshire, lest he remind voters of his adulterous baggage. But Hillary needs Bill’s acumen and charm on the campaign trail. The rambunctious Bill needs the action, not to mention some maternal care: “I’m lonely,” he tells his presumed ball and chain. “I miss you.”

In Hnath’s inspired conception, what really infuriates Hillary is not Bill’s infidelity but the thought that “You got it” — the presidency — “and I can’t.” These are two smart adults whose ambitions serve their career needs but undermine their emotional needs, leaving both feeling alienated even when they work supportively together.

Intermission needed

In this East Coast premiere mounted by Philadelphia Theatre Company, the fascination lies not in any drama per se but in the pathetic quality of this relationship once its principals are out of the spotlight. In the title roles, Alice M. Gatling and John Procaccino project suitable impotence, but at some point their recriminations became repetitive and I found myself briefly nodding off, notwithstanding a nifty (albeit short) turn by Lindsay Smiling as an emotionally constipated Obama. Still, Hillary and Clinton deserves our attention if only for its novel purpose: to imagine the iconic Clintons as fallible humans like ourselves. Which, ultimately, they are.

Like so many recent plays, Hillary and Clinton consists of a single act that lasts only some 75 minutes. But whatever its brevity, this is one play that cries out for an intermission. You see, the second half occurs the following evening, after the New Hampshire votes have been counted, revealing the surprising primary results. You may need a break to suitably digest the passage of those 24 hours, even if you don’t need a rest room.

For Rhonda Davis' review, click here.