Michelle Obama has emerged as the reigning queen of the Big Apple, overshadowing Hillary Clinton just days after her Broadway debut as a producer of the musical "Suffs,” a new report claimed.
“Michelle knew exactly what she was doing when she decided to throw her support behind Alicia Keys’ competing Broadway show, ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ just across the street from Hillary’s production. It was a calculated move. Let’s call it what it is — petty,” an unnamed source told The National Enquirer.
In late April, former First Lady Michelle Obama released images from her recent trip to New York City for the opening night of the new musical "Hell's Kitchen." The former FLOTUS attended the Broadway event with a slew of A-list celebrities at the time, WWD reported.
Michelle wore a belted Brandon Maxwell strapless top with a transparent long-sleeved shirt underneath. She also dressed in black cargo pants and pointed-toe heels. The wife of Barack Obama donned silver statement earrings and dressed her hair in a long, dramatic braid.
The first image showed a group portrait of Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Alicia Keys, her mother Terria Joseph, and her husband Swizz Beatz. "[Alicia Keys], you have done it again! I absolutely loved every second of ['Hell's Kitchen'] and found myself singing and dancing the entire night," Michelle's caption read.
“I know how hard you worked to bring this production to life, and I could feel your creativity and light shining all the way through. You and the cast should feel so proud,” the ex-FLOTUS went on.
Michelle’s post also included a candid photo of the former First Lady speaking with the Grammy-winning musician. Alicia sported an upgraded denim ensemble designed by Paul Gaultier.
Meanwhile, the Broadway box office results for the week of May 5 indicated that the Hillary Clinton-produced stage play "Suffs" is at the bottom of the list in terms of capacity.
The Broadway League, the official website of the Broadway Theatre Industry, has published the weekly grosses from the 35 productions now playing on Broadway, which include "Suffs," "Harry Potter and The Cursed Child," and classics like "Romeo & Juliet," Sweeney Todd," and "Moulin Rouge! "The Musical."
According to the data, Hillary’s play only attained 81% capacity across eight performances that week, ranking it among the bottom eight productions in that category and the lowest 23% of all 35 plays for the week.
Noting that the play's trailing statistics appear even worse given that it is a new musical, Breitbart News stated that the performance "should still be drawing big crowds during Broadway's peak season—the month before the Tony Awards," which is currently underway.
The drama premiered on Broadway last month, following an Off-Broadway run that began in 2022 at New York City's "The Public" theatre. Singer-songwriter Shaina Taub created the musical, which was directed by Leigh Silverman and produced by main producers Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman, as well as co-producers Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai.
Breitbart also reported that Vice President Harris' niece, Meena Harris, is a producer on the theater production.
The three-hour performance depicts the women's suffrage campaign of the early 1900s on stage. According to the show's website, Suffs "boldly explores the victories and failures of an ongoing struggle for equality."
According to Playbill.com, the play's cast is exclusively female and non-binary, including Tony winner Nikki M. James, Jenn Colella, Emily Skinner, and Grace McLean as President Woodrow Wilson.
Hillary indicated that she can relate to "all of" the characters in the play, telling the Associated Press last month that she understands "how hard it is to make change."
"I know how important it is to have relationships with the people you’re working for, as you’re taking risks and you’re doing things that have never been done, whether it’s running for president in my case or having a march on Washington in 1913 to try to convince the president and the Congress to adopt the amendment to let women vote," she said.
“But more than that, I see it as relevant today. We have a lot of challenges in our country,” Hillary added.
Business Times has reached out to Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton about their supposed bad blood.
