Podcast Summary: "Marjorie Prime" Stars June Squibb, Cynthia Nixon, and Danny Burstein as Humans Grappling with Memory and Artificial Intelligence

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: January 13, 2026
Guests: June Squibb, Cynthia Nixon, Danny Burstein
Episode Theme: Exploring human relationships, memory, grief, and the implications of artificial intelligence through the lens of the Broadway play Marjorie Prime.

Overview

This episode centers on the Broadway production Marjorie Prime, a play set in 2050 where AI-powered holograms stand in for lost loved ones. Host Alison Stewart speaks with stars June Squibb, Cynthia Nixon, and Danny Burstein about how the play addresses memory, grief, family dynamics, and the rapidly advancing presence of artificial intelligence in human life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Allure and Challenges of Marjorie Prime

• June Squibb reflects on her decision to join the play after decades on Broadway:

  "I just felt the script was brilliant. I just was blown away by reading this script. So I felt this is something I could do and that I should do." (01:36 - 02:00)

• Danny Burstein and Cynthia Nixon share the script’s irresistible combination of humor and pain as a draw for their involvement.
• The cast praises director Annie Kaufman’s vision and the unique chemistry among the crew.

Changes in Broadway and Stage Experience

• Squibb contrasts Broadway in the 1960s with today, humorously recalling old habits:

  "We used to go out every night drinking. I don't do that anymore." (02:06)
  Burstein jokes:
  "Yes, she does." (02:13)

• Squibb extols the excitement of engaging with a live audience, emphasizing the variability and freshness it brings to performances. (04:44)

The Role of AI in the Play’s Narrative

• Cynthia Nixon (Tess) describes her character's discomfort with AI:

  "She's always had to fight for her mother's attention, and now she's having to fight an AI for her mother's attention... To see her mother being flirty and girlish with this young version of her father, it's all too much." (05:25 - 06:39)

• Danny Burstein (John) perceives the Prime as a tool for healing:

  "...he sees the prime as not just offering emotional and psychological support, but also a conduit to healing old wounds and a way of making her healthy again." (06:49 - 07:41)

• June Squibb on why Marjorie chooses a younger version of her husband:

  "Just the fact that he's gorgeous ... she knows how to handle men ... the pain of her life has not happened yet." (07:48 - 08:42)

Family Relationships and Their Complexities

• Squibb and Nixon probe the strained relationship between Marjorie and Tess:
  • Squibb:

    "She did not nurture Tess, and she was always... involved with the son who had great problems... Tess is smart... she could take care of herself." (08:58 - 10:01)

  • Nixon:

    "Her mother never seemed to notice her or appreciate her or even maybe like her sometimes... Men are to be paid attention to and doted on, and women are there to... be the person cleaning up in the kitchen kind of thing." (10:09 - 11:10)

• Burstein’s John tries to mediate, striving for family peace and healing:

  "He sees that the prime is a conduit to healing... ultimately it doesn't, of course, replace humanity." (11:24 - 12:20)

Memory, Secrets, and Healing

• Burstein explains John’s decision to share a family secret with the AI:

  "Because it is a huge bone of contention between the mother and the daughter... I see this as a way of opening a door... so healing can happen." (13:11 - 14:27)

• Squibb notes Marjorie’s fluctuating memory regarding her lost son, illustrating the complexity of dementia:

  "Sometimes she remembers him and sometimes she doesn't. And I think it's written to me, it's written that way in the script." (14:31 - 15:00)

Playing Humans and Their AI Primes

• Both Nixon and Squibb discuss their approaches to depicting both human and AI versions:
  • Nixon:

    "I was leaning too much into the artificiality... The Primes are always completely 100% interested in the person they're talking to... something that in our very busy world, we're less and less able to do." (15:20 - 16:38)

  • Squibb:

    "With the Primes, I tried to keep a straighter back and just a body that was there and sitting and very proper... with the voice, for me, the word trill." (16:46 - 17:47)

The Play’s Prescience and Relevance Today

• Burstein praises the play’s foresight:

  "I don't think 10 years ago anybody knew, even knew what ChatGPT was... What would you do if you could bring back somebody that you lost? ...Jordan Harrison definitely saw that before any of us really did." (18:08 - 19:37)

• Nixon points out the play also speaks to the choices we make in telling family stories and passing on memories.

  "The AI is such a big part of the play, but... it's like, what do we tell our children about ourselves and our families?" (19:51 - 20:44)

Grief, Memory, and What the Play Leaves Us With

• Burstein relates the play’s exploration of grief and memory to personal experience:

  "You go through the normal stages, and then you find a place of gratitude... you see him at the very first stage, and he has to put his money where his mouth is." (21:01 - 22:05)

• Squibb highlights the universal journey of dealing with loss:

  "I think that's what Jordan is showing us in the play, frankly. I think he's saying, this is grief. We've all had grief, and this is how you handle it." (22:11 - 23:28)

• Nixon hopes audiences reflect on loss, familial relationships, and the non-threatening role of AI as depicted in the play:

  "This is not AI as villains... makes you think about AI in your own life, but also what is coming in the future." (23:50 - 24:47)

• Burstein and Squibb stress the irreplaceability and value of human relationships:
  Burstein:

  "I hope they think about the immediacy of their relationships and how AI actually ultimately can't replace true humanity..." (24:51)
  Squibb:
  "...it makes us feel the preciousness of our lives and our relationships and that we have to protect them..." (25:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the enduring value of live performance:
  "The audience, I mean, you don't get that... the audience different every night, you know, is something very exciting. And you're playing to that, using that." — June Squibb (04:44)
• On AI’s mesmerizing presence:
  "The Primes are always completely 100% interested in the person they're talking to... perhaps we can learn from AI is how AI... devotes itself entirely to you." — Cynthia Nixon (15:20 - 16:38)
• On the limitations and humanity AI can never fully replicate:
  "AI actually ultimately can't replace true humanity and that our time is limited and that they had better take advantage of life while it's here." — Danny Burstein (24:51)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening and premise of Marjorie Prime: 00:09 – 01:25
• June Squibb on joining the play and Broadway then vs. now: 01:25 – 02:16
• Cast motivations and play’s appeal: 02:19 – 03:34
• Stage acting and live audience dynamics: 04:37 – 05:14
• Exploring AI’s role and family tensions: 05:14 – 08:42
• Family relationships and hidden wounds: 08:42 – 11:10
• On using AI for healing and mediation: 11:10 – 12:20
• The power and ethics of memory transfer to AI: 13:11 – 14:27
• Portraying human and AI selves: 15:00 – 17:47
• AI’s prescience and how the play anticipated our world: 17:56 – 19:37
• Grief, memory, and the irreplaceable human touch: 20:44 – 25:16

Final Thoughts

The conversation illuminates how Marjorie Prime delves into personal and shared histories, the challenges of loss, the possibility (and limits) of technological solace, and the vital importance of authentic human connection. The cast’s reflections—poignant, witty, and honest—invite audiences to reconsider what they value and remember, and how the future may echo with the humanity AI can never fully replace.