In the Green NYC Reviews and Tickets

71%
(90 Reviews)
Positive
68%
Mixed
27%
Negative
5%
Members say
Great singing, Ambitious, Confusing, Absorbing, Slow

About the Show

Lincoln Center's world premiere musical offers the origin story of one of medieval history's most powerful and creative women: Hildegard von Bingen.

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Member Reviews (90)

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982 Reviews | 343 Followers
80
Wonderful, Weird, Wacky, Wild

See it if you like experimental musicals. Glorious, all-female voices. Storytelling is confusing, but raises women issues then & now. Untradl staging.

Don't see it if you want a fully coherent story. Read program note before. Innovative approach to biography. Dark material, but some light songs. Stick w/it

716 Reviews | 219 Followers
85
Introspective, Weird, Exquisite, Unusual rhythms and harmonies, Great singing

See it if Sublime collage of medieval and modern musical elements sung by 3 Hilde's and 2 Jutta's w/band. Feminist story is more fiction than bio.

Don't see it if You won't enjoy a strange, mystical musical experience. The story had its high points but left me deflated. Terrible ending.

754 Reviews | 124 Followers
75
Quirky, Based on a strange biography, Interesting use of puppets, Thought-provoking, Great singing

See it if opera like theatricals with intricate layered music intrigues you. The remarkable life of the woman on whom it is based is worth knowing.

Don't see it if you have a low threshold for unfamiliar situations.

715 Reviews | 108 Followers
71
Quirky, Edgy, Disappointing, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if you want to learn about the very interesting story of Hildegard von Bingen. Setting very unusual as is the style of singing and presentation

Don't see it if you want a complete story of Hildegard.This story concentrates mainly on her life in a cell. Singing and story telling style not traditional Read more

655 Reviews | 129 Followers
88
Entertaining, Absorbing, Great acting, Great singing

See it if The early year when she is locked away, and very little after her release. Great music, and large part chanting.

Don't see it if Not your typical musical theater. Not happy story. Read more

MJK
677 Reviews | 190 Followers
64
Gravely dull, Original, Ambitious, Great singing, Earnest

See it if u want to see a visually effective, vocally stunning, but ultimately tedious, bio-musical of Christian mystic/composer Hildegarde of Binge.

Don't see it if you aren't interested in Medieval liturgical-inspired music; you hope for a fully coherent retelling of Hilde's uniquely cloistered life. Read more

672 Reviews | 157 Followers
88
Lovely, Thoughtful, Inventive, Glorious, Unexpected

See it if you are interested in innovative musical theater or questions of belief, obedience to a code or how best to live in a fallen world.

Don't see it if you prefer your musicals to conform to the tradition: this one trespasses in its music, book & staging. Read more

635 Reviews | 237 Followers
45
Disappointing, Excruciating, Ambitious, Great music, Great singing

See it if You enjoy avant-garde, innovative music theater with non-linear storytelling & unique music sung beautifully.

Don't see it if You’re interested in learning about the show’s subject - the book is seriously lacking. I phased out for 40 minutes & didn’t miss anything.

Critic Reviews (9)

The New York Times
June 27th, 2019

"For audacity and opacity it’s hard to top 'In the Green'...Unless you’re already acquainted with the masterworks of Hildegard, you’re unlikely to appreciate Ms. McLean’s splintering riffs on the original. The entire production is steeped in a mixture of archness and earnestness that prohibits emotional engagement and easy listening...Give credit, though, to the bold musical experimentation going on here, generated by an ace team."
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Time Out New York
June 27th, 2019

"In its gracelessly blunt lyrics and its gimmicky concepts...the show wears its subtext on its long medieval sleeves. But the music is heavenly...The tunes soar even as the story stays earthbound. Director Lee Sunday Evans can't liven up the inaction...An abrupt and seemingly tacked-on ending briefly shows Hildegard's post-Jutta existence and hints that 'In the Green' needed more time to ripen...However, McLean’s promise shines through this fascinating if flawed experiment."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
June 27th, 2019

"Under the elegant, just-playful-enough direction of Lee Sunday Evans, In the Green tells a speculative version of the extraordinary story of Hildegard von Bingen...If 'In the Green' doesn’t always thread the needle with its narrative, it makes up for it with its score. Medieval Christian mysticism was amazingly physical — and McLean creates a musical texture for Hildegard’s story that flows straight from the body."
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Theatermania
June 27th, 2019

"Grace McLean's innovative new musical tells the story of Hildegard von Bingen's formative years."
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BroadwayWorld
July 8th, 2019

"Chamber musicals don't get much more chamber than composer/lyricist/bookwriter Grace McLean's In the Green, an intriguing new piece receiving its premiere at LCT3's Claire Tow Theater."
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Talkin' Broadway
June 27th, 2019

"Abstract, though not so much that you can't follow the plot, 'In the Green' is a fascinating work...For a new and experimental work like this, there are really only a couple of bumps along the way...'In the Green' works best when the players are confined to their cell. And musically, this is a score I hope will be recorded so that I can listen to it over again."
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New York Stage Review
June 27th, 2019

"★★★ A new musical by and featuring Grace McLean recalls a singular woman (and saint) to beguiling, bewildering effect"
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New York Stage Review
June 27th, 2019

"★★★ A cool though cryptic musical considers Hildegard von Bingen"
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