After success off-Broadway and in the UK, a rollicking Australian musical about Bill Clinton is opening in Perth.

In 2007, Paul Hodge and his family went to see Keating! The Musical in their hometown of Brisbane. “After the show Dad said, ‘yes, it was good but I’m not sure politicians make the best subject matter for a musical – except maybe Bill Clinton,’” recalls Hodge.

It was a light-bulb moment. Before long, Paul and his barrister brother Michael were bouncing around ideas for Clinton: The Musical. In 2015, after several years of development, the show had a successful four-month season off-Broadway. Now, a new production of the ribald musical satire is about to open at Perth’s Black Swan State Theatre Company. “Being Australian we always hoped that it would come home, so it’s very exciting,” says Hodge, who wrote the book and lyrics, and co-wrote the book with Michael.

Paul Hodge with Kerry Butler from the off-Broadway production. Photo by Russ Rowland

Described by the New York Times as “smartly silly, hilariously impudent and sneakily compassionate”, Clinton: The Musical follows William Jefferson Clinton through his turbulent career as the 42nd President...