Marjorie Prime Apr 2026

: The "accommodating" son-in-law who believes in the therapeutic value of the Primes to maintain a sense of "connectedness".

: Harrison describes the play as its own form of a Turing test , challenging the audience to distinguish between the "cold, placid approximation" of an AI and the "frenzied contradiction" of a human being. Dramatic Structure and Plot Highlights Marjorie Prime

: A central concept in the play is that human memory is not a fixed record but a "sedimentary layer" that changes each time it is accessed. Primes are fed stories by the living, which means they often reflect a "curated" or sanitized version of the past rather than the truth. : The "accommodating" son-in-law who believes in the

: Deeply skeptical of the technology, viewing the Prime as a "harmful" reminder that sanitizes difficult family truths, including her brother Damien's suicide. Primes are fed stories by the living, which

Originally premiering at the Mark Taper Forum in 2014, the play saw a notable Off-Broadway run in 2015 starring . A 2017 film adaptation starred Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, and Tim Robbins. Most recently, a 2025 Broadway revival at the Hayes Theater featured June Squibb , Cynthia Nixon , and Danny Burstein , with reviews noting that the play feels even more "prescient" and "uncanny" in the era of modern chatbots.

: In a "superb and very cinematic" conclusion, the stage often utilizes a turntable to show a family that is "whole again"—but composed entirely of Primes, raising questions about a post-human future where machines continue to repeat human stories forever. Production and Legacy

As Tess tells her husband with sad resignation: "Science fiction is here. Every day is science fiction. We buy these things… [and] Playwrights Horizons: Marjorie Prime with Jordan Harrison