At the Museum of Late Human Antiquities, the curators are fiercely committed to bringing a lost civilization to life again: What were humans really like? What did they wear, what did they eat, how did they die out? By casting us into the far future, Jordan Harrison’s new play gives us an uncanny view of the present moment, as we straddle the analog world that was and the post-human world to come.
Don’t bother! Harrison makes it clear that such actions would merely be performative. Indeed, one can’t really argue that “The Antiquities” is a cautionary tale. There’s no question that artificial intelligence is here to stay; all that’s left for us to discover is whether Harrison’s dire predictions about the future of the human race – and technology’s part in making it happen -- will come true or turn out to be mere figments of the playwright’s vivid imagination.
It’s a pity: The Antiquities is a compelling concept and Harrison has a poetic, philosophical bent, but the execution lacks a certain audacity. One wonders what Caryl Churchill would have made of the premise (as with Love and Information, she’s master of the short, sharp shock). Not even a tightly directed cast and boldly designed production can overcome the sense that we’ve seen these tropes before on screens.
| 2024 | Off-Broadway |
Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Pla | Brenda Abbandandolo |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | David Cromer |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Caitlin Sullivan |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design of a Pl | Tyler Micoleau |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play | The Antiquities |
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