Cast Recording Review: "Clinton: The Musical"
There are lots of shows that I don't think received justice they deserve. Some of those shows are amazing, yet they flopped ("Side Show"). The other ones are off Broadway shows that didn't get the Broadway transfer they deserve ("Heathers: The Musical"). "Clinton: The Musical" falls underneath that category.
"Clinton: The Musical"is a loving parody that tells the story of the presidency of Bill Clinton, in which Bill Clinton is portrayed by two actors, in order to represent the two sides of Bill Clinton. One of the Bills, is the one who truly wants to make America a loving, peaceful place. The other one, is the one who runs around playing the saxophone, wearing sunglasses, and sleeping with a White House Intern. Both Bills co-exist among each other, but luckily Hillary Rodham Clinton is the only one who can see both of them at the same time.
From the second I started listening to the cast recording for the first time, I was hooked. The opening number is a song called "Awful-Awesome" that sets up the time period and establishes the two different Bills and their presidential candidacy in 1992, as Hillary continues to attempt to shove herself in their spotlight. Next, Hillary and the two Bills sing a song called "The Me I See" in which they each state how they want the citizens of America to view them. This is followed by a song called "The Day After That" which covers constant the media attention of the Clinton Whitewater Scandal and how absolutely nobody knew what Whitewater was.
All of the songs I have mentioned so far have the perfect flair to them. They are all filled with some great melodies and perfectly hilarious and insightful lyrics. But unfortunately, there is a song in this show that doesn't not have those elements. That song is called "A Starr is Born", in which Kenneth Starr sings about his plan to take down President Bill Clinton. The song is clearly meant to come off as over the top, but it is a bit too over the top. The song is trying to hard to be funny, which results in the song not being funny. What makes the song worth listening to, is the brilliant vocal performance of Kevin Zak.
After "A Starr is Born", the show begins to slowly move into the Monica Lewinsky Scandal, with the song "Lie to You", in which we explore the relationship between Hillary and one Bill, and Monica Lewinsky and the other Bill. Then after one song that is not worth mentioning (Newt Gingrich's song, "Say Nay"), comes the two best songs in the show. "Monica's Song" is easily the most comical song in the show. I am not going to go to far into it, because the first time you hear those lyrics your jaw will literally drop. After that, comes "Both Ways". "Both Ways" is Hillary telling the two Bills that their presidency will only work out if they learn to compromise and work as one. This song totally stops the show, thanks to the song itself and the incredible vocal performance of Kerry Butler.
After this, Bill Clinton is re-elected and the Monica Lewisnky affair is spilled (No, this is not a spoiler. You should already know what happens). Through all this, the Bills are still trying to keep up a positive image. One of the most witty songs in the show is a song called "State of the Union". In this song, one of the Bills is preparing an address and Hillary is trying to keep him from saying anything that could sound remotely sexual. More songs happen, and as the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal gets worse and worse, Hillary finally loses it. When leading ladies lose it, 11 o'clock numbers tend to follow. This 11 o'clock number is a song called "Enough", which really humanizes Hillary and gets people to feel bad for her, for once. THEN, Eleanor Roosevelt comes out to remind Hillary how strong she is. During this song ("Brew It For Your Country"), Hillary misinterprets Eleanor's advice and decides that she will run for president. To which, Eleanor responds "SH!T". Hillary comes to forgive the Bills, and all three of them learn to work as one and to do what is best for them and the country.
The reason "Clinton: The Musical" has been brought to my attention was because of the presence of one of my favorite performers of all time, Kerry Butler. Butler is doing her best Hillary Clinton impersonation and stopping the show dead cold with her powerhouse voice. As the two Bills, Tom Galantich has a very classy musical theatre voice, and Duke Lafoon's voice is more rough around the edges. As Newt Gingrich, John Tracey Egan let his tenor voice soar. Veronica J. Kuehn was very sweet as Monica Lewinsky and TV's Judy Gold was showing off the fact that she can sing and that she is perfect for the roles she was given as Linda Tripp and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Writers, Paul and Michael Hodge have put together a very smart and funny show with some very campy songs that may take sometime to grow on you, but will eventually be stuck in your head the more you listen to them. If you have an hour to spare, I strongly recommend you listen to this cast recording. I don't know about you, but I think that if Hillary Clinton becomes President, they should move this show to the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway and Kerry Butler can win a Tony. If that does not happen, I will have a new definition of "missed opportunity."
"CLINTON: THE MUSICAL"
"Clinton: The Musical"is a loving parody that tells the story of the presidency of Bill Clinton, in which Bill Clinton is portrayed by two actors, in order to represent the two sides of Bill Clinton. One of the Bills, is the one who truly wants to make America a loving, peaceful place. The other one, is the one who runs around playing the saxophone, wearing sunglasses, and sleeping with a White House Intern. Both Bills co-exist among each other, but luckily Hillary Rodham Clinton is the only one who can see both of them at the same time.
From the second I started listening to the cast recording for the first time, I was hooked. The opening number is a song called "Awful-Awesome" that sets up the time period and establishes the two different Bills and their presidential candidacy in 1992, as Hillary continues to attempt to shove herself in their spotlight. Next, Hillary and the two Bills sing a song called "The Me I See" in which they each state how they want the citizens of America to view them. This is followed by a song called "The Day After That" which covers constant the media attention of the Clinton Whitewater Scandal and how absolutely nobody knew what Whitewater was.
All of the songs I have mentioned so far have the perfect flair to them. They are all filled with some great melodies and perfectly hilarious and insightful lyrics. But unfortunately, there is a song in this show that doesn't not have those elements. That song is called "A Starr is Born", in which Kenneth Starr sings about his plan to take down President Bill Clinton. The song is clearly meant to come off as over the top, but it is a bit too over the top. The song is trying to hard to be funny, which results in the song not being funny. What makes the song worth listening to, is the brilliant vocal performance of Kevin Zak.
After "A Starr is Born", the show begins to slowly move into the Monica Lewinsky Scandal, with the song "Lie to You", in which we explore the relationship between Hillary and one Bill, and Monica Lewinsky and the other Bill. Then after one song that is not worth mentioning (Newt Gingrich's song, "Say Nay"), comes the two best songs in the show. "Monica's Song" is easily the most comical song in the show. I am not going to go to far into it, because the first time you hear those lyrics your jaw will literally drop. After that, comes "Both Ways". "Both Ways" is Hillary telling the two Bills that their presidency will only work out if they learn to compromise and work as one. This song totally stops the show, thanks to the song itself and the incredible vocal performance of Kerry Butler.
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| (Left to Right) Tom Galantich as WJ Clinton, Kerry Butler as Hillary Clinton, and Duke Lafoon as Billy Clinton |
After this, Bill Clinton is re-elected and the Monica Lewisnky affair is spilled (No, this is not a spoiler. You should already know what happens). Through all this, the Bills are still trying to keep up a positive image. One of the most witty songs in the show is a song called "State of the Union". In this song, one of the Bills is preparing an address and Hillary is trying to keep him from saying anything that could sound remotely sexual. More songs happen, and as the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal gets worse and worse, Hillary finally loses it. When leading ladies lose it, 11 o'clock numbers tend to follow. This 11 o'clock number is a song called "Enough", which really humanizes Hillary and gets people to feel bad for her, for once. THEN, Eleanor Roosevelt comes out to remind Hillary how strong she is. During this song ("Brew It For Your Country"), Hillary misinterprets Eleanor's advice and decides that she will run for president. To which, Eleanor responds "SH!T". Hillary comes to forgive the Bills, and all three of them learn to work as one and to do what is best for them and the country.
The reason "Clinton: The Musical" has been brought to my attention was because of the presence of one of my favorite performers of all time, Kerry Butler. Butler is doing her best Hillary Clinton impersonation and stopping the show dead cold with her powerhouse voice. As the two Bills, Tom Galantich has a very classy musical theatre voice, and Duke Lafoon's voice is more rough around the edges. As Newt Gingrich, John Tracey Egan let his tenor voice soar. Veronica J. Kuehn was very sweet as Monica Lewinsky and TV's Judy Gold was showing off the fact that she can sing and that she is perfect for the roles she was given as Linda Tripp and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Writers, Paul and Michael Hodge have put together a very smart and funny show with some very campy songs that may take sometime to grow on you, but will eventually be stuck in your head the more you listen to them. If you have an hour to spare, I strongly recommend you listen to this cast recording. I don't know about you, but I think that if Hillary Clinton becomes President, they should move this show to the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway and Kerry Butler can win a Tony. If that does not happen, I will have a new definition of "missed opportunity."
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Music and Lyrics by Paul Hodge
Book by Michael Hodge and Paul Hodge
The Original Off Broadway Cast of "CLINTON: THE MUSICAL" consisted of:
Hillary Clinton- KERRY BUTLER
WJ Clinton- TOM GALANTICH
Billy Clinton- DUKE LAFOON
Newt Gingrich- JOHN TRACEY EGAN
Linda Tripp/Eleanor Roosevelt- JUDY GOLD
Monica Lewinsky- VERONICA J. KUEHN
Kenneth Starr- KEVIN ZAK
Hillary Clinton- KERRY BUTLER
WJ Clinton- TOM GALANTICH
Billy Clinton- DUKE LAFOON
Newt Gingrich- JOHN TRACEY EGAN
Linda Tripp/Eleanor Roosevelt- JUDY GOLD
Monica Lewinsky- VERONICA J. KUEHN
Kenneth Starr- KEVIN ZAK
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