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.
I saw What the Constitution Means to Me on the day Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2018. At the time, I said, “I started out not wanting this review to be entirely about politics, or at least not about my politics. But the show—like America right now—blends the personal and the political in ways that are as inextricable as the conversations I can’t seem to stop having.” I can’t help having some of those same emotions right now.
At its core, “Prime” asks what it means to be human, and how that is affected by time and our surroundings, a theme that Mr. Harrison has explored in various other works; one of his most recent, “The Amateurs,” unfolds during the Black Plague. His latest venture, “The Antiquities,” brings us back to the future, to a post-“Prime” era — and it offers an even more chilling perspective on where technology may be taking us.
| 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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