In the Green NYC Reviews and Tickets

71%
(90 Ratings)
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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Show-Score Member Reviews (90)

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219 Reviews | 88 Followers
100
Must see, Masterful, Great singing, Exquisite, Ambitious

See it if You are interested in the next phase of musical theater. You liked Octet.

Don't see it if You aren’t interested in women’s stories. You are looking for a traditional musical. This is brilliant but confronting. Read more

419 Reviews | 52 Followers
100
Must see, Masterful, Intelligent, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if Brilliant story telling ... performance art.

Don't see it if Sold out

445 Reviews | 146 Followers
92
Vivid, Great staging, Great writing, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if you want to be astonished by the pathological self-denial required of a woman to gain an illusion of control in a punitive medieval world.

Don't see it if prefer an account of a saint's works to a reconstruction of her contemplations; if uninterested in how women’s sin/absolution rationalized. Read more

95 Reviews | 30 Followers
90
Masterful, Refreshing, Resonant, Great music, Ambitious

See it if you want to see something different, you like getting out of your comfort zone. If you like almost entirely sang-through shows

Don't see it if you are looking for a drama/musical with a traditional plot line Read more

683 Reviews | 161 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

752 Reviews | 145 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

154 Reviews | 19 Followers
85
Thought-provoking, Great singing, Quirky, Exquisite, Ambitious

See it if you love original musicals, symbolism, and/or early Medieval history and music

Don't see it if abstract/bizarre/avant-garde musicals aren't your thing, talks of women's issues, sight of blood, or if you like grander sets Read more

774 Reviews | 246 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.

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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