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)

Entertaining, Enchanting, Clever, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy full throated historical drama which is alive and confusing as its era. The actors are very good especially Cox and Pinkham. Go!

Don't see it if If you saw LBJ and want Bryan Cranston back, want a linear narrative which fully explains the LBJ era, or find politics and power boring.

Resonant, Absorbing, Great writing, Great acting, Clever

See it if You want to see a fast-paced play dealing with a historic period in the 1960's and including many political figures of the time.

Don't see it if You don't like political dramas.

Intelligent, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you love history and seeing a behind the scenes look at the times of LBJ's presidency interest you.

Don't see it if History bores you or you are uncomfortable with violence. Read more

Disappointing, Relevant, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if History buffs and those who care about about social welfare policy (why we are where we are) will appreciate this. Strong ensemble.

Don't see it if You loved Bryan Cranston in All the Way - Brian Cox blew enough lines to be distracting. Read more

Dated, Ambitious, Intense, Slow, Great acting

See it if You enjoy history and political plays

Don't see it if You’re not into history or politics

Intelligent, Absorbing, Relevant, Intense, Ambitious

See it if if you saw All the Way, and want more. If you're interested in historical theater. If you pay attention to the set.

Don't see it if if you can't sit 3 hours. if you're not interested in Civil Rights history and presidential power. 1 major character is not-as-strong

Relevant, Intelligent, Great acting, Exquisite, Absorbing

See it if All around great acting. Performed with such passion. Educational and informative history reenactment.

Don't see it if you don't like politics or history

Intelligent, Great staging, Great acting

See it if you enjoy historical plays and good acting.

Don't see it if you prefer lighter topics, smaller productions, are not interested in escalation of the Vietnam war during Johnson and his social agenda. Read more

Critic Reviews (25)

"In ‘The Great Society,’ history marches numbingly on, and on, and on, and on"
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Grade: B "Lyndon Johnson gets another term on Broadway, with Brian Cox in 'The Great Society'"
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3/4 Stars "Lyndon B. Johnson play an action-packed drama"
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"If the play feels overstuffed, it’s still an important history lesson. Schenkkan calls it a tragedy. But the real tragedy is that if we don’t pay enough attention, history is hellbent on repeating itself."
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"'The Great Society' on Broadway and the America LBJ Built: The second part of Robert Schenkkan's history of Lyndon B. Johnson opens at the Vivian Beaumont Theater."
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"Robert Schenkkan's 'THE GREAT SOCIETY' Takes On The Last Four Years of LBJ's Presidency"
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"If you weren't alive in the Johnson years, it is a concise and electric summary of the conflicts that led directly to today's divided America. If you were there, be prepared for it to come crashing back, in all its tumult and fury."
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"In this sequel to the Tony-winning 'All The Way,' Lyndon Johnson's historic and tumultuous Presidency comes off like a dry-as-dust high school textbook."
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Trailer

Creative team