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

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

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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"Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan Extraordinary in Samuel D. Hunter's 'GREATER CLEMENTS'"
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"At its best, 'Greater Clements' offers unforgettable characters, some stunning writing, and a dismayingly accurate view of a way of life that is breaking down fast -- but, even if the names were different, this is a town we've visited before."
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"A deep dive into the memories, dreams, and nightmares that are eating away at its central character gives 'Greater Clements' the quality of a psychological thriller."
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3/5 Stars. "A significant though flawed, perceptive and touching new drama."
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4/5 Stars. "Samuel D. Hunter crafts an excellent, quietly devastating new play, with remarkable performances from Judith Ivey and Edmund Donovan."
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"SECOND CHANCES: This thoughtful but downbeat drama struggles to get traction."
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"'Greater Clements,' his longest play to reach New York, seems to be a new departure. Unfortunately, in this version the play seems rather diffuse and meandering, while the strong character relationships suggest that more can be done with the material."
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"'Greater Clements' greatest value lies in its offer of a...study of rural America. What stands out, however, are magnificent performances turned in by Judith Ivey as the complicated, conflicted mother who appears to feel unworthy of happiness. And Edmund Donovan's turn as her earnest, yet mentally unstable son, Joe, is even more emotive and easily one of the best performances of the year."
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Score: 60%. "'Greater Clements' has now joined the three hour club, and for no good reason other than to add new meaning to 'exposition.'"
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""Greater Clements" is a testament to what happens when societal structures and safeguards disintegrate, when mental illness challenges societal and familial norms, and what happens when the ability to cope erodes without a safety net in place."
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"[there are] deeper veins the playwright is trying to mine beneath the surface…even the family name enforces their sense of isolation, and of doom - Bunker. The play is rich with such symbolism…so much here works for me, above all, the terrific, nuanced performances."
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"Directed by regular Hunter collaborator Davis McCallum, and featuring distinguished performances by…Judith Ivey…and Edmund Donovan…the three-act, three-hour play is too long for its small-scale subject matter. There’s also an excess of contrivances and scenic difficulties."
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"In Ivey's flawless turn, we realize why the down-to-earth yet spirited Maggie is one of the most beloved residents of Clements, a tiny, depressed "town" in Idaho which has, in fact, decided to 'unincorporate'..."
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