Marjorie Prime NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(63 Reviews)

Positive

86%

Mixed

11%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Clever

About the Show

Playwrights Horizons presents a story about a family coping with the loss of a loved one through the use of a "prime:" an exact replica of the deceased who can learn to interact in human-like ways.

Marjorie is a clever, wry woman who, at age 85, finds that her memory is failing. She is living out her days at an assisted living facility where she is frequently visited by her anxious, quick-witted daughter, Tess, and her kind, easygoing son-in-law, Jon. With the urging of Jon and the facility, and despite Tess' misgivings, a mysterious young man, Walter, joins the group with the hope that he can help reverse Marjorie's decline.

Member Reviews (63)

Ambitious, Clever, Profound, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if you can. A powerful exam of identity and memory. What makes us ourselves? And what will happen with AI? Well acted, skillfully written.

Don't see it if you dislike sci-fi stories. MP takes place in the near future. I liked it so much I saw it twice. A couple of scenes could have been trimmed

Clever, Slow, Thought-provoking, Funny, Great acting

See it if You like plays about what the future could hold in store.

Don't see it if You don't like intimate new plays that are slowly paced.

Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Intelligent, Intense

See it if incredible acting and a sci fi storyline

Don't see it if You don't want to see a somewhat depressing quiet show. But it will make you think. And you won't forget it!

Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Intelligent, Original

See it if you are interested in thought-provoking new plays written by one of our very best young playwrights.

Don't see it if you are not interested in thought-provoking new plays.

Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Original

See it if You love Lois Smith, sci-fi and great acting. You want to be touched at frank discussions of death.

Don't see it if You don't like sci-fi and don't want to suspend disbelief.

Clever, Great acting, Thought-provoking

See it if you like considering implications of future technology and enjoy clever, well-thought out playwriting

Don't see it if you don't want to think about death, aging, or mortality. You want to see a cheerful and joyous play.

Absorbing, Slow, Intelligent

See it if you like Black Mirror and Robot & Frank.

Don't see it if you like gritty scifi.

Absorbing, Original, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Intense

See it if Extremely original, thought provoking and well acted. The plot unfolded in three acts, each more riveting than the last

Don't see it if You want something light, fluffy and happy

Critic Reviews (28)

"Impeccably directed by Anne Kauffman, with acting to match by a cast of four, this production keeps developing in your head...It initially has the look and feel of a featherweight work — of a cool, low-key domestic comedy of ideas, built on a single ingenious gimmick. But at some point, you realize that it’s been landing skillfully targeted punch after punch, right where it hurts."
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"An intriguing scenario but mainly an elegant study of memory as both escape and prison...The structural trick of Harrison’s play (not to give too much away) is the slow proliferation of Primes, which both palliates and sharpens the tragic chapters of Marjorie and Tess’s past. Time will tell if A.I. ever becomes a reality, but the human parts of Harrison’s smart, lovely play are built to last."
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"A startling and profound new drama...It’s true that 'Marjorie Prime' is fundamentally a realistic work, and a brilliant one at that...That in this production they are rendered natural as well, despite the amusing technological frame through which Harrison explores them, is the result of the superior ensemble acting of the cast, under Anne Kauffman’s beautifully balanced direction."
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"'Marjorie Prime' is sometimes frustratingly slow and schematic; it's the sort of play that is probably more satisfying to ponder over afterward than to watch. But it resonates with deep feeling, philosophical intelligence and empathy not only for its human characters, but also for its artificial ones. Staged in measured, understated fashion by Anne Kauffman, the piece is wonderfully acted by the ensemble."
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"'Marjorie Prime' envisions a day in the near future when we’ll be able to program robots to serve as humanoid companions for the old, the infirm and the lonely. The play, premiering at Playwrights Horizons with Smith in the cast, is also a sensitive study of family dynamics, which makes it all the more engaging."
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"Under the direction of Anne Kauffman, the acting is seamless. And this carefully calibrated 70-minute meditation on morality and memories exerts a gentle but insistent tug. But it doesn’t doesn’t dive deep enough to make a lasting impact."
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"One of the more impressive aspects of 'Marjorie Prime' is how Harrison calls upon spectators to be active viewers. Rather than deal in specifics, he provides context clues for us to piece together the timeline and personal histories ourselves...It works here because the dialogue and performances are so strong, it's like we're viewing these moments firsthand...Thanks to the expert cast and wonderfully sensitive writing, it's a supremely emotional moment."
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"Harrison takes the scenario exactly to where you'd expect and by the end of the play's seventy minutes we're in a world of artificial life passing on a history that never was. It's a premise with potential, but once the scenario is revealed and the morality issues debated, the drama is played out with little intrigue or surprise."
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