Actress Cynthia Nixon recently visited Sardi’s with the cast of Marjorie Prime, a family drama making its Broadway debut at the Hayes Theater. Nixon, a two-time Tony Award winner, plays Tess, the daughter of Marjorie, portrayed by theatre legend June Squibb. The play, which delves into themes of memory and grief, explores Tess’s challenging relationship with her mother as Marjorie’s dementia progresses.
“We have a mother and daughter who are not close, that are trying to be close. But there is so much baggage between them,” Nixon explained. She highlighted Tess’s struggle to care for her mother while addressing their painful past.
Supporting this journey is Tess’s husband, John, played by Tony winner Danny Burstein. John introduces Tess to “Prime,” an artificial intelligence hologram designed to replicate deceased loved ones. While Burstein acknowledges John’s role as a “champion” of the Primes, he expressed concerns about the implications of AI. “His wife has been through this very traumatic experience, and he wants to have a future with her,” Burstein said empathetically.
The cast members are wary of AI’s potential to undermine human creativity and replace individuals in the arts. When the play first premiered in 2014 at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, playwright Jordan Harrison noted that the technology was viewed as “a little bit fantastical.” But as AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, audience members are now more familiar with its nuances. “If you’re a human being alive in 2025, you have some kind of relationship with AI,” Harrison remarked.
The Primes, designed to mimic the deceased, play an essential role in the narrative, prompting audiences to consider their own relationships with technology. Christopher Lowell, who plays Walter Prime, emphasized the relevance of the story’s exploration of AI in today’s context. “It’s much more accurate to what we’re dealing with…is this the person or is this generated from what the AI thinks this character wants to hear?”
Director Anne Kauffman noted that while the text itself has not changed, audience perceptions have shifted dramatically. “There’s actually nothing in [the play] that we needed to change,” she stated, highlighting the evolving conversation around AI.
Despite the play’s technological themes, Harrison insisted that its core remains centered on family and grief. “It’s sci-fi for people who think they don’t like sci-fi,” he added. As the narrative unfolds, audience members encounter various Primes, which symbolically reflect the characters’ attempts to engage with their sorrow and past.
When asked what she would want her hypothetical Prime to know, Nixon responded, “I would say how important community is to me, both in terms of my family and friends, but also gathering with people in a theatre.” Lowell shared his preference for “tactile, analog things” and voiced a strong aversion to AI, stating, “A venomous hatred of pretty much all things AI.”
Squibb, now 96, has a career spanning over six decades and expressed her preference for living rather than existing as a Prime. “If you’re a Prime, you’ve died! I would like to keep living,” she stated. Her desire is not only to portray a multifaceted character but also to challenge societal perceptions of older individuals’ capabilities.
“Marjorie constantly reminds you of what an older person is capable of, and we don’t look at that often enough,” Squibb asserted, reinforcing the play’s underlying message about the value of life at any age. As Marjorie Prime continues its Broadway run, it invites audiences to engage in critical conversations about memory, technology, and the complex nature of human relationships.
For further insights on the evolving role of technology in the arts, visit OpenAI or explore the latest perspectives on AI in theatre.
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