The Great Society

First Preview: Sep 06, 2019

Opening Date: Sep 06, 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

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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

Age Guidance: 13

Show Notes: 1 Intermission

Performance Schedule:

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

Director

Bill Rauch

Written by

Robert Schenkkan

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Parking

Designated accessible parking spaces are located in the Yellow Section of the Lincoln Center Parking Garage. This area is accessible from any garage entrance or directly from West 63rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue by making a reservation. Accessible parking spaces can be reserved in advance by calling CenterCharge at 212.721.6500 or TTY 212.957.1709 (10:00 am-9:00 pm); disable parking permits and/or sticker must be displayed. There is a $5 service charge for advance reservations.

Directions Bus

Five buses stop near the theatre. Take the M5, M7, M11, M66 or M104.

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.

Directions Subway

1 to 66th Street, walk south to 65th Street, west to theatre.

Seating

There are approximately 1-2 steps down per row to all Orchestra rows below Row O, except Row P, which is 1 step up. Loge is located up 2 flights of stairs, 30 steps. Entrance is behind Row E and there are approximately 1-2 steps down per row to reach all other Loge seats. Seats approximately 1,100..

Elevator\Escalator

See “Wheelchairs” above. Please note the Loge level is not accessible to those who cannot climb stairs.

Entrance

Enter past Fountain Plaza and David Geffen Hall. 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 steeet level lobby entrance at 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam

Water Fountain

Theater level. Near Womens and Mens restrooms. Cups not available.

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. Mezzanine is called Loge at this theater. Due to structural limitations, this location is not accessible.Accessible tickets at all price points may be purchased at the box office, online or by phone.

Translation

Closed captioning is available through the GalaPro app beginning approximately 3 weeks after a show’s opening night (on/around May 8 for Flying Over Sunset).