"Impeccably directed by Anne Kauffman, with acting to match by a cast of four, this production keeps developing in your head...It initially has the look and feel of a featherweight work — of a cool, low-key domestic comedy of ideas, built on a single ingenious gimmick. But at some point, you realize that it’s been landing skillfully targeted punch after punch, right where it hurts."
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"An intriguing scenario but mainly an elegant study of memory as both escape and prison...The structural trick of Harrison’s play (not to give too much away) is the slow proliferation of Primes, which both palliates and sharpens the tragic chapters of Marjorie and Tess’s past. Time will tell if A.I. ever becomes a reality, but the human parts of Harrison’s smart, lovely play are built to last."
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"This is a play of ideas and, as such, there is more discourse than there is dramatic action, and characterizations do not run especially deep...Time is intentionally fluid in this work but, under Anne Kauffman’s otherwise thoughtful direction, leaps of many years feel more disjointed than they should be."
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"A startling and profound new drama...It’s true that 'Marjorie Prime' is fundamentally a realistic work, and a brilliant one at that...That in this production they are rendered natural as well, despite the amusing technological frame through which Harrison explores them, is the result of the superior ensemble acting of the cast, under Anne Kauffman’s beautifully balanced direction."
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"Under the direction of Anne Kauffman, the acting is seamless. And this carefully calibrated 70-minute meditation on morality and memories exerts a gentle but insistent tug. But it doesn’t doesn’t dive deep enough to make a lasting impact."
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"'Marjorie Prime' envisions a day in the near future when we’ll be able to program robots to serve as humanoid companions for the old, the infirm and the lonely. The play, premiering at Playwrights Horizons with Smith in the cast, is also a sensitive study of family dynamics, which makes it all the more engaging."
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"'Marjorie Prime' is sometimes frustratingly slow and schematic; it's the sort of play that is probably more satisfying to ponder over afterward than to watch. But it resonates with deep feeling, philosophical intelligence and empathy not only for its human characters, but also for its artificial ones. Staged in measured, understated fashion by Anne Kauffman, the piece is wonderfully acted by the ensemble."
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"One of the more impressive aspects of 'Marjorie Prime' is how Harrison calls upon spectators to be active viewers. Rather than deal in specifics, he provides context clues for us to piece together the timeline and personal histories ourselves...It works here because the dialogue and performances are so strong, it's like we're viewing these moments firsthand...Thanks to the expert cast and wonderfully sensitive writing, it's a supremely emotional moment."
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