Clinton: The Musical [Original Cast Recording]

Audio Mixer: Dean Sharenow.
Liner Note Author: Paul Hodge .
Recording information: Avatar Studios, NYC (05/19/2015).
Director: Dan Knechtges.
Editor: Dean Sharenow.
Illustrator: Mark Stutzman.
Photographer: Russ Rowland.
Recorded on May 19, 2015, this cast album from the original off-Broadway production of the irreverent rock musical Clinton: The Musical is, much like that presidency, not for children. The farcical book, written by Paul and Michael Hodge, splits President Bill Clinton into two characters played by two different actors (Tom Galantich and Duke Lafoon) to represent his duplicity, and freely mocks the '90s -- dial-up Internet sound effects and all -- in addition to its lead characters (Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton played by Kerri Butler, and Monica Lewinsky played by Veronica J. Kuehn). Newt Gingrich and Kenneth Starr are also portrayed in the show, with the former delivering the coarse, declamatory "Say Nay" (sung by John Treacy Egan). Tunes like "Sexual Relations" and the crass "Monica's Song" also go a bit further than one might expect; depending on one's political stance and particular sense of humor, Paul Hodge is to blame or thank for the lyrics and music. In a year that also saw the hit Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway show Hamilton: An American Musical, Clinton: The Musical does not compare favorably on any level, but for those who are neither devoted Clinton fans nor sensitive to lowbrow humor at the expense of public figures, it may just provide rare belly laughs. On a more unqualified note, comedian Judy Gold makes an appearance as a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt. ~ Marcy Donelson