‘Marjorie Prime’: Sublime & one of year’s best

‘MARJORIE PRIME’: June Squbb. Photo: Joan Marcus.

MARJORIE PRIME
By Jordan Harrison
Directed by Anne Kauffman
Through February 15, 2026
Second Stage at the Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
https://2st.com/shows/marjorie-prime
 

By Scott Harrah

AI (artificial intelligence) is everywhere in our lives in the 21st century. Despite all its hype, many contend that AI cannot truly replicate humans—human emotion in particular. Or can it? This is one of many thought‑provoking questions playwright Jordan Harrison poses in the sublime Broadway revival of his 2014 science‑fiction drama, Marjorie Prime.

The play takes place in the not‑too‑distant future, about 37 years from now, in 2062. Marjorie (Oscar nominee June Squibb) is an 85‑year‑old widow experiencing memory issues. Lonely and still coping with the loss of her husband Walter, she is introduced by her family to a “Prime”—a high‑tech AI projection designed to mimic her late spouse. Primes are not robots, but advanced technological recreations that look, speak, and sound human. The play opens with Marjorie in conversation with Walter, revisiting fragments of their shared past.

Blast from the past

Marjorie pours her heart out to the Prime, recalling memories in bits and pieces. The Prime absorbs these recollections and helps her refine and reorganize her thoughts about life with Walter. But are these memories truly fixed? Can they be edited, altered, or even erased altogether?

At the center of this debate are Marjorie’s middle‑aged daughter Tess (Cynthia Nixon) and son‑in‑law Jon (Danny Burstein), who approach the Prime from opposing emotional viewpoints. Tess worries about the psychological toll of her mother bonding with a technological stand‑in for a deceased spouse, while Jon sees the Prime as a compassionate solution to Marjorie’s loneliness. These conflicting perspectives generate a steady undercurrent of tension throughout the play’s brief 85‑minute running time.

Parable about humanity & technology?

On the surface, Marjorie Prime may resemble an ethical parable about humanity and technology. While that theme is certainly present, Harrison’s play is ultimately more concerned with aging, grief, and how families process loss. The differing perspectives of Marjorie, Tess, and Jon lend the story a sustained sense of dramatic tension, raising questions about memory, truth, and the ways humans adapt—emotionally and morally—to rapidly advancing technology.

June Squibb & Cynthia Nixon shine

June Squibb, at age 96, has received understandable media attention for being one of the oldest actors to perform on Broadway, but it is her commanding stage presence and remarkably fluid approach to Marjorie that make her performance so compelling. With apparent ease, Squibb pivots between wit and cantankerousness, irritation and moments of forgetfulness, allowing each emotional shift to feel organic and unforced. She not only brings Marjorie vividly to life but also strengthens the performances around her.

Cynthia Nixon delivers one of her strongest stage performances to date. She brings sharp emotional clarity to Tess, grounding the play’s futuristic premise in recognizable human anguish. Ms. Nixon captures Tess’s anger, vulnerability, and deep emotional fatigue, particularly in scenes shaped by grief and unresolved memory. Her tightly coiled anxiety stands in sharp contrast to Marjorie’s more easygoing temperament.

Danny Burstein & Christopher Lowell

Danny Burstein offers a warm, grounded performance as Jon, Tess’s husband, approaching the role with empathy and restraint. He allows Jon’s quiet frustration to surface naturally, giving the character a relatable humanity. Together with Squibb and Nixon, Burstein helps anchor the play’s emotional stakes.

Completing the ensemble, Christopher Lowell strikes a careful balance as Walter Prime. He suggests warmth and familiarity while maintaining a subtly unsettling emotional distance, reinforcing the character’s artificial nature without tipping into caricature.

Dynamic direction

Director Anne Kauffman skillfully guides the ensemble, allowing each performance to register clearly while maintaining tonal balance. She never lets the drama drift into sentimentality or melodrama, keeping the production emotionally resonant yet controlled.

Marjorie Prime is a provocative and deeply affecting play, and one of the year’s best. It speaks thoughtfully to the accelerating presence of AI in modern life and humanity’s uncertain ability to keep up with it. The play ultimately suggests that emerging technologies need not be inherently frightening; they may someday help shape how we choose to remember our lives—and one another.

Published December 15, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on December 11, 2025

‘MARJORIE PRIME’: June Squbb & Cynthia Nixon. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MARJORIE PRIME’: Christopher Lowell & June Squibb. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MARJORIE PRIME’: Danny Burstein & Cynthia Nixon. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MARJORIE PRIME’: Christopher Lowell. Photo: Joan Marcus.