Marjorie Prime
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Cititour.com Review
Lois Smith and Lisa Emery are two of our most valuable theatrical treasures. These incomparable actresses, though about three decades apart in age, are both incapable of portraying a false emotion! Unless they’re specifically asked to, which is what happens partway through in “Marjorie Prime,” Jordan Harrison’s thought-provoking play, now at Playwrights Horizons.
It’s only a bit of a spoiler to say this 80-minute piece plays out like a combination of your standard dysfunctional drama and a prolonged “Twilight Zone” episode, since the actual identity of the handsome young man named Walter (a well-cast Noah Bean) is revealed early on. We meet him in the minimalist residence (smartly designed by Laura Jellinek) of Marjorie (Smith), an 80something woman who is losing both her memory and her physical abilities. Still she remains, at times, sharp, sardonic, and utterly human, in part due to Walter’s presence.
She’s also attended to by Tess (Emery), her outwardly brittle yet obviously fragile middle-aged daughter, and John (the excellent Stephen Root), Tess’ remarkably solicitous husband, who provides compliments and comfort for Marjorie. The long-married couple are not always in agreement as to the best way to treat the failing Marjorie, yet we never doubt their strong love for each other or the courage of their own convictions. And as we learn more about Tess’ relationship with Marjorie during her younger years, shaped by a terrible family tragedy, we begin to understand Tess’ actions with more clarity.
So much for the family dynamics. What Harrison also has on his mind is why Tess and John have such different views on aging, specifically how much benefit there is in prolonging life after the spirit and flesh and weakened – even if science has made some advances to make those late-in-life years more bearable. Tess’ horrified response to possibly living until age 110, as posited happily by John, will have some audience members not just laughing but nodding in agreement. (Others will have a far different reaction.)
Despite its brevity, the play can feel a bit sluggish since there’s relatively little action, and the feeling of stasis is mostly underlined by Anne Kauffman’s relatively unfussy direction. She shows her theatricality only at the very end, leaving one to almost wonder if the play was written in reverse given the show’s chilling (and chillingly staged) final scene. It’s a glimpse into the future that many of us might prefer not to see.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/marjorie-prime
Cast
Lois Smith, Noah Bean, Lisa Emery, Stephen Root
Open/Close Dates
Opening 11/20/2015
Closing 1/24/2016
Box Office
212-279-4200
Theatre Info
Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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