Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist in 2015, Marjorie Prime, Jordan Harrison’s look at a wealthy American family of the future and their relationship with Artificial Intelligence, met great acclaim on its debut back in 2014. Since then it has had a transfer to off-broadway and a film adaptation but now it comes across the Atlantic for a run at the Menier Chocolate factory, writes Christopher Peacock.
Set on the west coast of America in 2050, the show takes a look at a world where AI is not just typing questions into Chat GTP like we may do today but a world where AI can take part in our family lives and care for loved ones. Tess and her husband Jon have got her mother Marjorie a ‘Prime’ to help with her care and well-being. A Prime is a humanoid AI bot in the form of a deceased loved one, in this case, Marjorie’s late husband Walter. The Prime continually learns from what it is told to become the loved one you had lost. The rest of this one-act play is about the family relationships and dynamics that can arise from secrets hidden. The twists that unfold around this quite unhappy household are foreseeable but what this show examines is our relationship with technology and whether anybody you have loved can truly be replaced.
The strength of director Dominic Dromgoole’s production comes from a very detailed set design by Jonathan Fensom and also from a strong cast. Richard Fleeshman, more known for his work in musical theatre, gives an apt, soulless performance as Walter Prime. At the emotional centre of the piece, Nancy Carroll’s Tess is fraught and distressed with what seems like the weight of the world on her shoulders that is never eased by the technology she now possesses. What we get from Anne Reid as Marjorie and Tony Jayawardena as Jon is a real warmth of personality. Marjorie’s uncensored quips bring laughs and Jon’s constant willingness to help and better any given situation creates a real connection with the audience. Their robust mother-in-law and son-in-law dynamic is a highlight.
Marjorie Prime is a nicely judged show. It knows when to move the story on and no scene feels overworked. All the while it holds a mirror to itself and poses questions about how we live our lives already with such a reliance on technology. With Artificial Intelligence certainly not going away, it does make you wonder what are the limitations of it, and how will we as a society accept it in our lives and grow with it.
A really nice little one-act show.
Menier Chocolate Factory, 55 Southwark Street, SE1 until May 6th. Times: Tuesday – Saturday 7:30pm; Saturday & Sunday 3pm. Admission: £49.50, £39.50.
Booking: www.menierchocolatefactory.com
