Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Jacob McNeal is a great writer, one of our greatest, a perpetual candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. But McNeal also has an estranged son, a new novel, old axes to grind and an unhealthy fascination with Artificial Intelligence. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar’s new play is a startling and wickedly smart examination of the inescapable humanity – and increasing inhumanity – of the stories we tell.
"McNeal was neither easy nor fun to watch. McNeal's character was morally inadequate in both his personal life as well as his writing - an inadequacy that spawned arrogance, selfishness, entitlement, along with a complete lack of empathy for anyone else. Yet McNeal was an award-wining author.
Within this deplorable narcissistic context, we were further challenged by issues of plagiarism and AI: are these simply two sides of the same coin, or is one side fraudulent and lazy, while the other merely the computerized/digital equivalent of normal creative cognitive processing?
Five days out and I'm still grappling with the unsettling question of whether I have EVER had an original idea - or instead, have all my ideas been borrowed (knowingly or unknowingly) from others?
In the end, like so many other complex social and political problems in today's world, questions regarding plagiarism and the application of AI are not simple binary issues - but instead, they exist on a continuum. Consequently humility, patience and an appreciation of nuance (rather than anger, intolerance and cancellation) are absolutely essential if we are ever to truly understand such problems or to have any hope of identifying humane and equitable solutions. "
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John C from London on Oct 28, 2024
"I loved the play! The actors did a marvellous job at delivering Akhtar’s story. The genius of Robert D. Jr.’s immense talent shown through. Brilliance. Delivered. What an honour to have witnessed such a work of art in my lifetime. "
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Hina A from Zurich on Oct 18, 2024
"I found the play to be very interesting and relevant to what is happening in today’s media.
Highly recommend!"
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Fabio B from Brooklyn on Sep 30, 2024
"First of all the set design & production was stellar. It was simple yet so classically done! Robert Downey Jr was the perfect actor to play this role. Entire cast was spot on, funny deliberate and emotional. Bravo"
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Sue W from lucas on Sep 21, 2024
"I thought the set and the script and Robert Downey Jr. were excellent all the stuff about AI and chat GPT were really interesting and current. I could definitely relate to McNeil‘s character being that I am in my mid-50s and I have read a lot of the people he referred to, and consider myself fairly well-Read for the Norman mailer genre. I don’t think this play is for everyone, but I really really enjoyed it. I don’t think my girlfriend really did or a younger audience would “get it” but I could relate to his depression and existentialism. "
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DAVID M from ROSLYN on Nov 17, 2024
"Liked the combination of modern and traditional topics and staging, and the fact that Robert Downey Jr was the main character. "
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Ave K from Madison on Nov 15, 2024
"Very interesting and thought provoking. What is ethical when it comes to AI? Have we already opened Pandora’s box? All of that woven through the complications of life. While at times the plot is a little hard to follow, it’s an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 27, 2024
"Robert Downey Jr. leads a strong cast in a very contemporary tale of truth and lies in the digital age. The staging is simple yet effective. And the smaller theater at Lincoln Center gives the story a personal feel. We loved it."
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David M from Washington on Oct 25, 2024
"The lead, agent and reporter were very well acted. Intelligent dialog. It was thought provoking. It felt like a run on sentence and it could have been done a tad shorter. Definitely happy we went. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 22, 2024
"Acting is superb with a story that takes an eerie look at how far AI is or is not infiltrating art. Makes you think and keep wondering long after the performance. One hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. Would recommend!"
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 18, 2024
"Robert Downey Jr. delivers a stellar performance as a NY Times best seller writer who is waiting to hear if he has received a Nobel Prize.
Andrea Martin lend humor to the exhausting, serious script which deals with AI.
The story is dark and caused me great distress. "
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Robin K from New York on Oct 23, 2024
"This was the first play I've seen that really attempted to grapple with the addictive, probably malignant future of using AI as a creative. Why sweat over a new book as a has-been writer when you can have AI invent new books in your style? Why do the deep work of grappling with your wife’s death when you can just throw her journals and manuscript into an AI generator to make a coherent, more palatable version. In your voice no less!
Let’s not mince words though, this was a play driven very much by RDJ's starpower. He’s on stage pretty much the whole time, no intermission, and with that distinctive style of speaking you’re hearing RDJ so he’s very much there as an avatar of himself. This may as well be an alternate universe RDJ who took his talents to writing instead of acting and even went through similar peaks and valleys.
I don't want to spoil the ending of the show but rather than any kind of resolution or statement (which is seems to intentionally try to subvert) we end up with what best can be described as anti-plot. It's all a little sudden and left a bad taste in my mouth."
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ALEX C from Garrison on Sep 11, 2024
"The actors were fantastic. The story was interesting, but too many unanswered question. Expect a very diciotomous conversation with those who attended with you."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 28, 2024
"I thought the play itself was rather clichéd. The debate over AI felt heavy handed. Robert Downey Jr’s performance was good but the characters were all two dimensional. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 12, 2024
"Every story has a beginning, middle and end. You need all three to have a great story. The ending of this play was poorly written and difficult to understand. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 12, 2024
"The characters in this play are as thinly drawn as the characters referenced in McNeal’s “body of work”. Andrea Martin gives a stand out performance but she’s only on stage momentarily. "
