While Kate McKinnon and Darrell Hammond were at 30 Rock putting
finishing touches on the cold open of SNL's season finale, Hillary
Clinton and her tall, handsome escort were being ushered to their seats
at the packed Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre several blocks away.
Bill and Hillary Clinton took in a matinee on Saturday of the widely acclaimed Peter Morgan play,
The Audience in
which Helen Mirren DBE zigs and zags achronologically among weekly
audiences held by Queen Elizabeth II with the 12 prime ministers who
have served over her 60+ years on the throne.
One of the most
touching and powerful moments comes at the end of act one. Just after
this conversation - one of many Elizabeth has with her younger self -
she is anointed Queen and accepts the very weighty crown that will
dominate the rest of her life.
It
is a scene with which Hillary certainly can identify. Immediately
after this, the curtain comes down for intermission during which these
two actors spend the entire time onstage as palace guard. No doubt that
particular role felt a wee bit more genuine yesterday. As far as I
could tell, the swords are authentic.
Apparently. it was during intermission that the Clintons went backstage to greet the cast.
May 18, 2015 |
Bill and Hillary Clinton made the cultural rounds over the weekend and were playfully teased by Helen Mirren at her Broadway play “The Audience.”
One theatergoer noted, “In one scene, Mirren, as the Queen, is
speaking to one of her prime ministers and says, ‘Well, you are better
off with me than with what they have over there.’”
Mirren turned and stared right at the Clintons, and then the whole audience was in an uproar.
The couple went backstage during intermission.
Read more >>>>>
Mirren
moves seamlessly from her 40s to her 20s to her 70s and back to her 30s
with most costume changes occurring, almost miraculously, within seconds right onstage. It
is a magnificent tour-de-force for Dame Helen who is nominated for a
Tony and earns it easily, appearing onstage fearlessly both with children
and animals (an ancient theatrical taboo). The little corgis, Mimi
and Marco, who hit their marks running, are rescues who, six weeks
prior to their debut, were awaiting adoption.
Congrats are in order all around! For all of these and for
attracting the couple most sought after on the Great White Way!
Outer Critics Circle Awards!
Outstanding Actress in a Play: Helen Mirren
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Richard McCabe
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing: Stephen Daldry!
We thank Sara Ramirez, of Hillary's favorite TV show
Gray's Anatomy,
for her video. Poetic justice that her tickets for this excellent production happened to be for this particular day.
Hope she had a chance to meet Hillary in all of the excitement!
Meanwhile,
back at 30 Rock, Darrell Hammond, who took over as SNL announcer after
the death of Don Pardo, reprised his role as Bill Clinton to Kate
McKinnon's Hillary in a musical production previewing a summer of
campaigning.
The Clintons were not the only political powerhouses to endure a satirical swipe. In the
Weekend Update
portion, Jeb Bush explained away allegations that his brother created
ISIS by bestowing part of the credit on Dick Cheney as he should have
done in reality in the first place.
