“An elegant study of memory as both escape and prison. Time will tell if artificial intelligence ever becomes a reality, but the human parts of Harrison’s smart, lovely play are built to last.”
— DAVID COTE, TIME OUT NEW YORK
“An excellent new play.”
— CHRIS JONES, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“A smart new play. Jordan Harrison explores the fraught subject of memory from a variety of fascinating angles, including senior dementia, our ever-increasing dependence on technology, and the perils of repression . . . it also grapples with the hidden legacy of suicide in a family, and is primarily concerned with something eternal: the way our humanity is shaped and warped by the mysterious ebbs and flows of memory. It’s the kind of experience that keeps unfolding in the mind long after the play is over.”
— CHARLES MCNULTY, LOS ANGELES TIMES
“A tender, searching new comedy . . . a thought-provoking play about memory, its corruption, and our insistence that technology help us outwit death.”
— LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES, NEW YORK TIMES
“Jordan Harrison is an original thinker who’s fixated on sci-fi matters like revisiting the past (Maple and Vine) and creating artificial intelligence (Marjorie Prime). He 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. This play is also a sensitive study of family dynamics, which makes it all the more engaging.”
— MARILYN STASIO, VARIETY
“Harrison, whose work frequently twists everyday situations into something fascinating and new, offers a sci-fi tale perfectly suited for today’s audiences, as technology seems to be evolving faster than humans can adapt. There are twists in each of the eight scenes. This play, a quiet exploration into memory and humanity, answers few questions. Instead, it poses some big ones, such as how much does someone have to forget before they are no longer the same person?”
— JEFF FAVRE, DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
“Jordan Harrison’s writing proves that a skilled playwright can lead you on a journey almost anywhere.”
— DOMINICK DANZA, MORE THAN THE PLAY
“. . . A gut-punch of a play. What’s remarkable about this savvy piece is its insight into the vagaries of memory and the navigation of grief.”
— KRIS VIRE, TIME OUT CHICAGO
“Captivating . . . Harrison asks the perennial question: As time robs us of our faculties, when do we cease to be ourselves?”
— JACOB GALLAHER-ROSS, VILLAGE VOICE
“Unnerving and well made, Marjorie Prime is at once futuristic and timeless. Harrison deftly weaves in the futuristic angle, without letting it get all Twilight Zone-y.”
— JAYNE BLANCHARD, DC THEATRE SCENE
“Marjorie Prime is an innovative and intelligent think piece. The themes that Harrison explores are profound and none of them unpack neatly . . . Exceptional.”
— MARIANA HOWARD, NEW YORK THEATRICAL GUIDE
Marjorie Prime is copyright © 2016 by Jordan Harrison
Marjorie Prime is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty. All rights including but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of readings and all uses of this play by educational institutions, permission for which must be secured from the author’s representative: Mark Subias, United Talent Agency, 888 Seventh Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10106; (212)-659-2615.
The publication of Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison, through TCG’s Book Program, is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution.
Library of Congress Control Numbers:
2016040000 (print) / 2016051883 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-55936-849-0 (ebook)
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Book design and composition by Lisa Govan
Cover design by Mark Melnick
Cover photograph by Andrew Lucchesi/EyeEm/Getty Images
Author photograph by Zack DeZon
First Edition, December 2016
Contents
Production History
Characters
Part One
Scene 2
Scene 3
Part Two
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Part Three
Scene 1
Thoughts on the Primes
Production Note: A Ballet for Houseplants
