Previews: HILLARY AND CLINTON at Dezart Performs

Dezart Performs’ (dezartperforms.org) Season 17 appropriately kicks off with the 2019 Broadway comedy HILLARY AND CLINTON by Lucas Hnath (November 15 - 24, 2024). Performances are at The Pearl McManus Theater at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. HILLARY AND CLINTON runs 90 minutes without intermission.
HILLARY AND CLINTON takes place in an alternate universe light-years away from our own on a planet called Earth. It looks a lot like our Earth, except it’s slightly different. And living on this other Earth is a woman named Hillary (Andi Matheny). Hillary is trying to become the president of a country called the United States of America. It’s 2008, and she’s campaigning in a state called New Hampshire. She’s not doing very well in the polls.

She needs more money to keep the campaign going, so she calls her husband, Bill (Brent Schindele), for help. He offers her a tough deal, but when she gets his help, she gets more than she bargained for. You may think you know where this story is going, but you don’t. After all, the play takes place in an alternate universe where anything can happen. The play also stars Napoleon Tavale as Barack and Craig Wroe as Mark. 

“Lucas Hnath’s play, HILLARY AND CLINTON, is a fascinating exploration of power, ambition, and the complexities of a political marriage set against the backdrop of the 2008 Democratic primary,” says Director Craig Wells. “It's a play that asks profound questions about identity, gender, legacy, and the weight of history. As the director, I’m excited to create a theatrical experience that focuses on the private vs. the public aspects of a political career and the often-unseen challenges faced by those in the limelight.”

All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, downtown Palm Springs. Ticket prices are $57 – $66 (including service fees) and may be purchased online at dezartperforms.org or by calling (760) 322-0179, ext 1. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:00 pm (NEW TIME); Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm (NEW TIME), Sundays at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. The Opening Night performance includes an after-show wine and dessert reception where audience members may meet the performers. A special ASL performance will be on Saturday, November 23, at 2 pm.

“An audacious, whip-smart, highly entertaining piece of writing. [The play] also has a political immediacy generally lacking in theater.”

-Chicago Tribune

“ Hillary and Clinton is cogent, snappy and perceptive about political and emotional realities.”

-TimeOut

 “The play sketches an emotional/professional mind-meld that might keep a panel of shrinks busy morning, noon and night.”

-The Washington Post