The second play in Robert Schenkkan’s dramatic take on President Lyndon Baines Johnson, The Great Society opened at Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater October 1 after beginning performances September 6.
Schenkkan’s All The Way bowed on Broadway in 2014, winning the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play for star Bryan Cranston. The Great Society stars Brian Cox (Succession) as LBJ and picks up where All The Way left off—with Johnson’s Presidential campaign in 1964. The drama chronicles his landslide victory but devolving presidency as the Vietnam War takes hold.
Flip through photos of the opening night below:
The play also stars Grantham Coleman as Martin Luther King, Jr., three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch as Richard J. Daley, Tony nominee Richard Thomas as Hubert Humphrey, Tony nominee Gordon Clapp as J. Edgar Hoover, Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham as Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Tony winner Frank Wood as Senator Everett Dirksen, Marchánt Davis as Stokely Carmichael, Brian Dykstra as Adam Walkinsky, Barbara Garrick as Ladybird Johnson, Tony nominee David Garrison as Richard Nixon, Ty Jones as Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and Christopher Livingston as James Bevel and Jimmie Lee Jackson, Angela Pierce as Pat Nixon, Matthew Rauch as Robert McNamara, Nikkole Salter as Coretta Scott King, and Tramell Tillman as Bob Moses. Ted Deasey and Robyn Kerr round out the company.
Directed by Bill Rauch, the production features scenic design by three-time Tony nominee David Korins, costume design by Tony winner Linda Cho, lighting design by David Weiner, projection design by Victoria Sagady, and original music and sound design by Paul James Prendergast. Casting is by Daniel Swee.
The Great Society premiered at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2014 and played Seattle Rep in 2015.
