Sorry State by Arthur Holden

January, 2017: Hillary Clinton has just been sworn in as President.

Within hours of her inauguration, she finds herself beset by problems. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a crucial but volatile strategic ally, wants American support for a risky military operation. Presidential spouse Bill counsels prudence. When prudence doesn’t work, Bill advises lies.

But Bill is a source of trouble in his own right. After two decades of simmering resentment, Monica Lewinsky launches a high-profile lawsuit against Bill for his past sexual misdeeds, drawing media attention away from Hillary’s policies and casting her nascent administration in the worst possible light. Hillary orders Bill to settle the suit. But Monica is in no mood for a deal. Recognizing the disastrous public relations consequences of a prolonged legal battle, Bill persuades Hillary to embark on an underhanded campaign to destroy Monica.

And then there’s Huma. Youthful, beautiful and Muslim, Huma Abedin is Hillary’s most trusted aide. She’s also married to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman who famously tweeted photographs of his genitals to the entire world. Huma loves the new President – not just platonically – and has lost patience with her now-compulsively truthful husband.

As Hillary’s problems mount, she finds herself doubting Bill’s tactical instincts. While her relationship with Huma grows ever more passionate, Hillary must also face distractions created by her daughter Chelsea, Monica’s lawyer Carmen Rosehip, and a pair of bickering clowns named Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Fed by partisan invective, political scheming, sexual intrigue and international brinksmanship, the various plot lines converge in a climactic confrontation from which a chief executive’s virtue emerges bruised, but stronger than ever. 

And the whole thing is in iambic pentameter.

Sorry State: a 100% pure fantasy about the uses – and misuses – of power in today’s America.

Keywords: Hillary Clinton, satire, fantasy, presidency, American politics

Running Time: 140 minutes

Male Cast: 4

Female Cast: 6