Marjorie Prime NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (63)
See it if you're interested in semi-science-fiction stories or if you're interested in the effects of technology on human interaction
Don't see it if you get bored watching people talk with little action or if you like shows with a huge conflict
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.
See it if You admire great acting and creative ideas.
Don't see it if You like traditional stories.
See it if You like inventive work that is different, thought provoking and very well acted.
Don't see it if You like your theater spoon fed to you from the same cliched stories, as this is definitely not that.
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.
See it if You want to have a good discussion about life and living
Don't see it if you don't like contemplative plays
See it if you want a thought-provoking piece that, while not gripping, is absorbing and fleet, ending with a truly knockout scene.
Don't see it if you don't like plays that are more about ideas than plot.
See it if you want a new/refreshing take on dying/mourning. Well acted. Fascinating idea.
Don't see it if if the subject of dying is too difficult for you Although, it is handled so insightfully here. If you're looking for standard fare - don't.
Critic Reviews (28)
"Jordan Harrison’s thought-provoking play…Despite its brevity, the play can feel a bit sluggish since there’s relatively little action, and the feeling of stasis is mostly underlined by Anne Kauffman’s relatively unfussy direction. She shows her theatricality only at the very end, leaving one to almost wonder if the play was written in reverse given the show’s chilling (and chillingly staged) final scene. It’s a glimpse into the future that many of us might prefer not to see."
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"Since there’s a general coolness to director Anne Kaufmann’s production, and the backstories of the characters aren’t particularly engrossing, the difference between the humans and the primes might have worked better if the characters were more down-to-earth or unusual than the superficial ones in the play...Harrison wisely remains opaque about the androids’ technical details, forcing you to fill in the dots. His premise is wide open for speculation and debate."
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"Artificial intelligence is one thing; artificial playwriting, alas, is another. That's not to say that Mr. Harrison's writing is artificial. His setup, though, allows him to spoon-feed information to the audience by having his A.I. characters feed us backstory...The plotting is such that at times we are reminded of a non-violent variation on 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'. Except that what is provocative in those works is not so, here."
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"The plot is intriguing, but a bit schematic. I wish the family’s long-ago tragedy were not based on something that has become a dramatic cliche. Nevertheless, there is much to admire. The actors are uniformly wonderful. The final scene is both a satisfying and unexpected one, filled with humanity."
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"A compelling futuristic tale where artificial intelligence may just keep us company, attempt to provide comfort, and companionship in our elder years. But he cleverly explores the depth, substance, and satisfaction this fascinating technology might bring to us - or not give to us, as the case may be."
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"The ensemble gives fine performances in the thought-provoking piece, which plays out on a lime-green apartment set bland enough to allow lighting designer Ben Stanton to focus on characters and the creepy nature of what is taking place. The plot is more intellectual than fast-paced action in this 90-minute, no intermission play, but Kauffman’s taut direction doesn’t allow it to sound boring. Harrison’s script also keeps the subject from veering into science fiction."
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"Typically, AI stories focus on the singularity and robots taking over. That's not what 'Marjorie Prime,' directed with sensitivity by Anne Kauffman, is about. Indeed, Tess's husband, Jon, champions the Primes, seeing them as allies. Yet, throughout the course of the play, sort of a sophisticated Turing Test, we wonder if the line between human intelligence and artificial intelligence is too blurred for its own good."
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"Kauffman has economically and coolly staged the play...On one level, 'Marjorie Prime' is a wry examination of how technology is replacing some human interaction, but it's also a tender, layered look at the caprices of memory and the devastating impact of loss."
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