Laurie Metcalf, John Lithgow to Star in ‘Hillary and Clinton’ on Broadway

By Margeaux Sippell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow are returning to the stage this spring to star in the new Broadway production, “Hillary and Clinton.”

The play, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Joe Mantello, follows former First Lady Hillary Clinton (Metcalf) in early 2008 as she attempts to save her troubled presidential campaign. Lithgow will play her husband, Bill Clinton, who struggles to agree with her campaign manager Mark J. Penn on how involved the former president should be in his wife’s campaign. “Hillary and Clinton” examines the politics of marriage and gender roles in America.

Metcalf is a two-time Tony winner for Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women” and “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” The seasoned actress scored an Oscar nomination this year for “Lady Bird,” as well as an Emmy nod for ABC’s “Roseanne” spinoff, “The Conners.”

Lithgow has been nominated for six Tonys, winning two. Last year, he won his sixth Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill on Netflix’s “The Crown.” He is currently performing “: Stories by Heart on Broadway” at New York’s American Airlines Theater.

Hnath made his first foray as a playwright on Broadway with 2017’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2.” Scott Rudin, who worked on Broadway shows including “Book of Mormon,” “Three Tall Women,” and “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” will produce “Hillary and Clinton.”

Previews will begin on March 16, ahead of opening night on April 18, 2019.