★★★★☆ Crass, colourful and immensely entertaining theatre.

Heath Ledger Theatre, Perth
August 31, 2016

Going down on President Clinton may not ultimately have brought him down, but when Monica Lewinsky (the wonderful Megan Kozak) gleefully sings in Clinton: The Musical, “I’m fucking the fucking President”, the metaphor looms as large as one of Bill’s cigars.

As lurid and grotesque as a political cartoon by Gilray or Scarfe, this funny, smart musical by Brisbanites Paul Hodge and Michael Hodge has received its Australian premiere in Perth after well-received performances at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe, London’s King’s Head Theatre, the New York Musical Theatre Festival and Off-Broadway.

Covering the before, during and after of Bill Clinton’s arguably most turbulent time in office when he was impeached and subsequently acquitted after being accused of lying about his “sexual relations” with young intern Lewinsky, Clinton: The Musical is as much about Hillary Clinton (a terrific Lisa Adam) – and here the material has been updated to reflect the current political climate – as it is about a very different kind of Double Bill.

That’s right: Clinton is portrayed by two actors: Simon Burke is WJ (“good”) Clinton; Matt Dyktynski is Billy (“bad”) Clinton. It sounds naff, but it...