| Marjorie Prime | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jordan Harrison |
| Characters | Marjorie Tess Walter Jon |
| Date premiered | September 10, 2014 |
| Place premiered | Mark Taper Forum |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
Marjorie Prime is a dramatic science-fiction stage play written by American playwright Jordan Harrison. The play premiered in 2014 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles produced by Center Theatre Group, and then transferred to Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2015. The play was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2015 and made its Broadway debut in 2025 as part of Second Stage's theatrical season at the Helen Hayes Theatre, starring June Squibb. [1] [2] [3]
An elderly widow at the end of her life embraces technology to potentially preserve her memory. The plays deals with the topic of digital footprints and their effect on future generations as technology continues to advance.
Harrison has said the play had two main inspirations: his grandmother, who suffered from memory loss, and Brian Christian's book The Most Human Human , which explores the Turing test and what distinguishes humans from machines. [4] [5] Marjorie Prime is considered the third play in an unofficial trilogy on humanity and technology, after Futura and Maple and Vine. [6]
The play is available for licensing through Concord Theatricals. The play was first workshopped at the Pacific Playwrights Festival in 2013, directed by Pam MacKinnon. [7] The original production at the Mark Taper Forum was directed by Les Waters, while Anne Kauffman directed the Off-Broadway production and will direct the Broadway production in 2025. [8] The Chicago premiere production in 2015 was produced by Writers Theatre and directed by Kimberly Senior. [9] In 2023, Menier Chocolate Factory staged a production starring Anne Reid and directed by Dominic Dromgoole. [10]
| Character | Los Angeles (2014) | Off-Broadway (2015) | Chicago (2015) | Film (2017) | London (2023) | Broadway (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marjorie | Lois Smith | Mary Ann Thebus | Lois Smith | Anne Reed | June Squibb | |
| Tess, Marjorie's daughter | Lisa Emery | Kate Fry | Geena Davis | Nancy Carroll | Cynthia Nixon | |
| Jon, Marjorie's son-in-law | Frank Wood | Stephen Root | Nathan Hosner | Tim Robbins | Tony Jayawardena | Danny Burstein |
| Walter Prime, a super-computer | Jeff Ward | Noah Bean | Erik Hellman | Jon Hamm | Richard Fleeshman | Christopher Lowell |
The play was adapted into a feature film in 2017, written and directed by Michael Almereyda. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by FilmRise. The film expanded the world of the play, with Lois Smith reprising the titular role, and Jon Hamm, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins in the principal roles.