The Great Society

First Preview: Sep 6, 2019

Opening Date: Sep 6, 2019

Closing Date: Nov 30, 2019

Running Time: 02:40

https://greatsocietybroadway.com/

Playing @

Vivian Beaumont Theater

150 West 65th Street, New York City, NY 10023

View on map

View theatre details

From the creative team behind the Tony®-winning Best Play, All The Way, comes a thrilling new play about the LBJ legacy: The Great Society.

17 actors. Over 50 characters. One epic political drama.

Capturing Johnson’s passionate and aggressive attempts to build a just society for all, The Great Society follows his epic triumph in a landslide election to the agonizing decision not to run for re-election just three years later. It was an era that would define history forever: the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the escalation of the Vietnam War, and the creation of some of the greatest social programs America has ever known—and one man was at the center of it all: LBJ.

The Great Society stars Emmy® and Olivier Award winner Brian Cox (Succession, King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company) as LBJ, and introducing Grantham Coleman (Much Ado About Nothing at The Public) as Martin Luther King Jr. and Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) as Robert F. Kennedy.

“The Great Society demands to be seen. A brilliant extension of All The Way and a culmination of Schenkkan’s masterwork.” – BroadwayWorld

Broadway Play - Drama

Show Notes: 1 Intermission

Age Guidance: 13

Performance Schedule

MONDAY thru THURSDAY @ 7 PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY @ 8 PM
WEDNESDAY @ 1 PM
SATURDAY @ 2 PM

Written By

Robert Schenkkan

Director

Bill Rauch

TDF Tickets Offers:

Listed at

Never

See TKTS Live

Full-price tickets:

$109.00 - $139.00

Buy Tickets

Reviews

Nothing represents the sad passage from postwar idealism to a culture of political cynicism and chicanery like a newly elected Richard Nixon smugly informing his White House predecessor, "What America wants, Mr. President, is honest government." That sour closing note carries echoes from 1968 to the present ethical vacuum a half-century later, when Washington, D.C., is now swampier than ever. Playwright Robert Schenkkan picks up where he left off in All the Way to chronicle Lyndon Baines Johnson's embattled presidency. If The Great Society often feels as much like history homework as drama, it thrums along on the engine of Brian Cox's unimpeachably magnetic performance as LBJ.

Read More
Cox, shorter and burlier than Johnson, nevertheless captures with ease the formidable power and presence the man was said to have, and his bulldog (or bulldozer) tenacity, as well as his manipulative wiles, when it came to sparring with political opponents. Particularly funny are the moments when he arm-twists his opponents by smilingly blackmailing them to heed his wishes while the press corps is watching.

Read More
It’s powerful history, beautifully portrayed with lighting and sets that make use of every inch of the stage as the cast uses the full auditorium to tightly tell a story covering the world-historical likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Robert McNamara, RFK, J. Edgar Hoover and, finally, Richard Nixon, in a stand-out performance by David Garrison among the universally excellent cast. Marchánt Davis also shines as a despairing Stokely Carmichael, whose interactions with King, played by newcomer Grantham Coleman, stand out as interesting and dynamic in their own right.

Read More
Nothing represents the sad passage from postwar idealism to a culture of political cynicism and chicanery like a newly elected Richard Nixon smugly informing his White House predecessor, "What America wants, Mr. President, is honest government." That sour closing note carries echoes from 1968 to the present ethical vacuum a half-century later, when Washington, D.C., is now swampier than ever. Playwright Robert Schenkkan picks up where he left off in All the Way to chronicle Lyndon Baines Johnson's embattled presidency. If The Great Society often feels as much like history homework as drama, it thrums along on the engine of Brian Cox's unimpeachably magnetic performance as LBJ.

Read More

Accessibility

Box Office

From Plaza level and main entrance of Beaumont Theater- 21 steps. From Concourse- Three doors (each 43") followed by 12 steps. Wheelchair access to the Box Office is available from the street-level entrance on 65th Street. Enter through the glass doors in front of the large curved mural & use the wheelchair lift on the left. The doorbell next to the lift will call a security guard to assist you. The Beaumont lobby and orchestra level is accessible via ramp located to the right of the box office.
Restroom

Womens: Theater level. Door 33.75". Stall door 34.5". Commode 15.25" Mens: Theater level. Door 48". Commode 19" Urinal 15.5". Single-use, accessible restroom located on the Orchestra level across from the ladies’ room.
Elevator/Escalator

Wheelchair lift available
Entrance

Enter past David Geffen Hall and Hearst Plaza. Double doors (each 39") at level entrance, followed by 14 steps to main lobby. Additional 7 steps down to box office. Alternate entrance: street level (65th St.) 12 steps up to Box Office lobby and 7 additional steps up to main lobby. Wheelchair lift from street level to Box Office level. Use street level lobby entrance at 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam
Water Fountain

The water fountain is located on the theater level near the restrooms.
Assisted Listening System

The Beaumont is now equipped with an Induction Hearing Loop for state-of-the-art assistive listening. If your hearing aid does not have a T-coil, headphones are also available from the concessions bar in the lobby on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are necessary. Driver's license or ID with printed address required.
Wheelchair Info

Wheelchair access is available from the street-level entrance via a wheelchair lift located to the left of the entrance. Orchestra entrance is behind Row O which is the only row accessible to people using wheelchairs. Accessible tickets at all price points may be purchased at the box office, online or by phone.
Passenger Loading Zone

West 64th Street and Amsterdam Avenue near glass doors that lead to the lower lobby. Exiting at West 62nd between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues

Show Finder