The Great Society NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(284 Ratings)

Positive

77%

Mixed

17%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing, Intelligent, Relevant

About the Show

Emmy winner Brian Cox stars as Lyndon B. Johnson in this companion piece to the Tony-winning "All The Way," which depicts the tumultuous times that led to the conclusion of the Johnson presidency.

From the show:

From the producer, writer, and director of the Tony Award®-winning Broadway production, All The Way, comes a thrilling new play about the LBJ legacy: The Great Society. Presented at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center, this striking production features a brilliant cast portraying over fifty characters, including Emmy® and Olivier Award winner Brian Cox (“Succession,” King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company) as LBJ, Tony nominee Marc Kudisch (“Billions,” A Minister’s Wife at LCT) as Richard J. Daley, Grantham Coleman (Much Ado About Nothing at The Public) as Martin Luther King Jr., and Tony nominee Richard Thomas (The Little Foxes) as Hubert Humphrey.

Show-Score Member Reviews (284)

Disappointing, Confusing, Indulgent, Dizzying, Ambitious

See it if You're intent on seeing anything involving LBJ and/or Brian Cox, even if the quality is mediocre.

Don't see it if You expect top quality staging, a well-edited and managed script, a carefully managed cast... Oh, I could go on and on. It is a chaotic mess Read more

Slow, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Educational, Ambitious

See it if you can find a cheap ticket - I got a great seat at a very low price!

Don't see it if you're looking for something fully rounded. Read more

Doesn't hold up to the audible version of caro's books, Ambitious

See it if You like American History and don't mind if the characters, as written, don't stand up to the real people

Don't see it if you have used audible.com to listen to Dallek's 1,200 page book on LBJ or Caro's 5 volume set Read more

Full of sound and fury..., Very disappointing, Surprisingly unaffecting historical re-inactment of lbj's presidency

See it if You like historical re-enactments with actors trying out accents as they assume the characters of historical figures.

Don't see it if You like motivation and character in your historical characters, not bullet points and anecdotes. Read more

Important, Lackluster, Relevant, Intelligent, Disappointing

See it if you like political drama, even those that are more a pageant of events than real drama.

Don't see it if you are not interested in recent American history. Read more

A continuation of lbj's presidency that may be concise but not always dramatically compelling

See it if you're a history buff who enjoys seeing great actors perform a by the numbers pageant.

Don't see it if you already weren't bowled over by "All the Way." This isn't necessarily a step up. Read more

Relevant, Disappointing, Ambitious

See it if You are curious to see the follow-up to “All the Way.” Brian Cox gives a full-punch performance and much of the writing is great,

Don't see it if Seeing a production which ultimately fails to illuminate LBJ would leave you dissatisfied.

Excruciating, Disappointing

See it if You like dry, instructive, historical drama with little characterization and less heart. Well acted and serviceably staged, but zzzzz.

Don't see it if You prefer plays that have a heartbeat.

Critic Reviews (25)

Trailer

Creative team