Greater Clements NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%

(200 Reviews)

Positive

80%

Mixed

15%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Intense, Thought-provoking, Great writing

About the Show

Playwright Sam Hunter ("The Whale," "Lewiston/Clarkston") returns to Lincoln Center for this new drama set in an Idaho mining colony.

From the show:

GREATER CLEMENTS, takes place in the fictional town of Greater Clements, Idaho, a mining community where properties are being purchased by wealthy out-of-state people, forcing out lifelong residents — largely blue-collar workers — who are becoming disenfranchised and disenchanted. But all of that is in the subtext; it isn’t hammered on the head. The story is told through Maggie, played by the marvelous Judith Ivey. Maggie is on the verge of shutting down her family’s Mine Tour and Museum business. Her troubled adult son, has moved back home, recovering but unmoored. As the play opens, Maggie awaits a visit from an old friend. He brings a tempting offer to start a new life with him beyond this desolate town’s limits. Through the author’s quirky humor, keen observation and deep sensitivity to these idiosyncratic characters, we see just how hard it might be to leave the past behind.

Member Reviews (200)

Long, Intelligent, Terrible sightlines, Messy plot, Absorbing

See it if you like complex chars in unusual setting. Some stg acting (esply Donovan/Ivey). Slice of life, w/high tension. Some humor. Gd pace, but lg.

Don't see it if you want believable plotting and a satisfying ending. Interesting material, but it doesn't add up. A set sh never interfere w/audience. Read more

Riveting, Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Great writing

See it if you like great drama that is realistic, intense, thought provoking and heart wrenching. It is a story of sad times and sad people striving.

Don't see it if you do not like long plays that keep revealing bits and in the end leave you thinking rather than provide a conclusive end.

Great acting, Bleak, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Profound

See it if Legacy of suffering in a dissolving town, abandoned mine, and a family's last generation. Burdensome love. Aimlessness, despair, defeat.

Don't see it if You are not up for a long, deep, absorbing 3 act play that draws out its bleak feelings. Blocked sight lines (especially avoid front rows). Read more

Traditional structure, Resonant, Edgy, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if you miss plays with plot points, climaxes, themes and intermissions. Good performances and interesting staging,

Don't see it if you are not prepared for a 2 hour 50 minute run time.

A tad long, Great acting, Intelligent, Slow, Ambitious

See it if Fan of the playwright, get a feel for dying Idaho towns, enjoy complex characters with strong female lead, see mine created as part of set

Don't see it if Don’t like 3-act 2-intermission plays, stories about dying towns, many scenes in low lights, manufactured suspense

Resonant, Thought-provoking, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if Edmund Donovan is the stand-out in an outstanding cast in Hunter's noble yet bleak drama about loss of identity through loss of community

Don't see it if McCallum's finely wrought staging is essential in allowing this well crafted, deliberate melodrama to unfold as various plot lines converge

Resonant, Thought-provoking, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if See it for Edmund Donovan (Joe), he is incredible. Other actors fantastic too.Very well written play, riveting. Interesting & surprising set

Don't see it if Show is long (although it didn't feel that way). Two intermissions worked because each section was fairly short. Bad sightlines... Read more

Incredibly realistic, One of the best performances of all time, One of the best plays of all time

See it if You enjoy perfect and realistic family dramas that will keep you captivated for three hours

Don't see it if You are looking for something light. I can’t imagine anyone seeing this play and not being emotionally moved to tears Read more

Critic Reviews (20)

"‘Greater Clements,’ the Tragedy of a Town that Closed: Samuel D. Hunter’s creaky play about the downsizing of the American West features terrific performances by Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan."
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5 Stars. "Chekhovian in spirit but utterly modern in its concerns, Greater Clements is suffused with Hunter's signature combination of gentleness and despair...The play is nearly three hours long. It's not boring for a moment, though, because it is so rich with nuance and quiet dread."
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"'Greater Clements,' a Small-Town Drama Where the Town’s Disappearing"
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"Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan play a single mother and her troubled son in a dying Idaho mining town in MacArthur Fellowship recipient Samuel D. Hunter's elegiac drama."
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"Samuel D. Hunter’s new play, now at Lincoln Center with stage legend Judith Ivey, dives deep – literally."
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"‘Greater Clements’ is the best new play of the year"
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"An American Town Dissolves and a Family Struggles to Remain Solid in 'Greater Clements': Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan star in Samuel D. Hunter's latest drama."
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