Marjorie Prime — Page 2

I saw the show last night, and loved it. Now, I just want to admit that due to the back-ups in the subway, I missed the first scene (I'm seeing it again tomorrow to see the whole show and because I want another chance to see the material).

The show is very short, but most certainly not slight. In the short 80 minutes, there is much the show says about life, death, and memories. Although the Primes and the characters are from the future, the show is very much about today, without being pretentious, like so many futuristic works. My only problem with the length is that when to two "twists" happen (although they are not really twists, just plot development), they happen so close together they lose their impact. I think there could be another scene before Tess Prime.

The concept of rewriting the past is not new, but this show does it in such a way that it feels new. And the characters are so nuanced and real, even if their language is a little poetic. The scene where Marjorie listens to music is very touching. But the best scene is the final one, and I could not resist shedding a tear when Marjorie Prime said those final words.

The cast is uniformly great. Lois Smith deserves all the praise she's been getting, although she is not really the star of the piece. Stephen Root gives a funny and touching performance and Noah Bean stands out in what is essentially a one scene role. But Lisa Emery remains the focal point of the piece and her wonderfully subdued performance really informs the show.

I would very much recommend this show, and now I am waiting with baited breath for the release of the film!

I really enjoyed this. I'm glad twist was used as incorrectly as snubbed on here, since I hate knowing things in advance, but don't feel that was the case. An existential technology play is sort of right in my sweet spot, though.

Don't understand the raves or the reviews in general.

Did not care for it. Normally we like something and critics do not. Here it is the reverse.Oh well. Life goes on

Felt the same way.

Agreed with NYT. Loved Stephen Root (he needs to do more theater) and that last scene is fantastic. After i saw the show I chatted with Mr Root and he made an interesting observation about the last scene, how long have they been sitting there, days? weeks? 70 years? is John even still alive, thought it was an interesting idea.

Recently saw Marjorie Prime and was quite moved. It reminded me of Spike Jonze's Her and Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill. All three stories explore the limitations of artificial intelligence and the dangers of relying on it for emotional support.

The Prime is introduced as a piece of wish fulfillment. The AI performs as a mix of personal assistant, sexual fantasy and therapist. Sadly it lacks the insight to perform as the latter. The Prime's insistence of being referred to as a dead person and it's willingness to distort the truth to suit the family does more harm than good. These people clearly need human therapists to work through their trauma and call them out on their B.S.

The playwright's points on distortion of memory feel obvious. Yes we know memories distort over time both willingly and unintentionally. More interesting to me are the long term effects of failed communication. Each character was lonely but exacerbated it by their callous treatment of the others around them.