MARJORIE PRIME

Review by Celia Ipiotis

Loneliness overtakes countless elderly people who have lost loved ones and who must face life in all its silence. It’s difficult to comprehend the vacuum felt by human loss, and amidst this dreary reality, Marjorie Prime, brims with ideas of death, and loss wrapped in a good deal of humor and affection.

The inimitable June Squibb (96 years old) stars in Jordan Harrison’s prescient play Marjorie Prime (originally produced in 2015) at the Helen Hayes Theater. Adroitly directed by Anne Kauffman, it’s set in an ordinary suburban kitchen and living room designed by Lee Jellinek.

An 86 year-old widow, Marjorie (Squibb), finds her memories sifting through blanks and thinning out. And yet,  she sits in a comfortable, worn lounge chair thoroughly amused by the company of Walter (Christopher Lowell), an amiable man sitting across from her. A palatable camaraderie entwines the two and then we learn he’s an AI (a lifeliek hologram) version of her husband in his 30’s. Patiently sharing her memories, Walter and Marjorie giggle and gaze lovingly at one another. Yet, this human is really a Prime of her deceased husband as a younger man. 

Conflicted by the use of an AI companion for her mother, Tess (Cynthia Nixon), anxiously puts away groceries, bossily reminding her mother about what she should eat, her drug intake and general activities. Her husband, Jon (Danny Burstein) is more tolerant, and basically thinks the Prime is neat. 

Besides the introduction of android partners, Marjorie Prime excavates the emotions that build between parents and offspring. In a constant state of irritation, Tess is quick to annoy when her mother doesn’t understand an instruction or gets an answer wrong. It’s tough when a parent’s mind erodes causing some offspring to constantly bicker with them instead of stepping back and joining their loved one’s new reality. Much more gregarious, Jon makes every effort to lighten the mood, tease Marjorie and join her world. In addition, Tess continues to reckon with her brother’s suicide and her mother’s inability to copmue the tragedy–an uncontrollable event.

When Marjorie passes, Tess repeats her mother’s experience by turning her mother into a Prime. Almost imperceptibly, Marjorie becomes the responsive mother to her daughter. All in all, this presents a fascinating reflection on family ties and reconciliations. 

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus