McNeal
1 hour and 40 minutes, no intermission
McNeal - 2024 Broadway History , Info & More
Vivian Beaumont Theatre (Broadway)
150 West 65th St. at Broadway New York, NY 10023
Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Jacob McNeal (Robert Downey Jr.) 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 - 2024 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR McNeal
Robert Downey Jr. is in a play about A.I. that makes no sense
2 / 10
That doesn’t make for a particularly dynamic play; aside from long conversations, nothing happens. McNeal doesn’t emerge at the end of the play having experienced a change for better or worse. None of the characters reach a new connection with him. It’s unresolved, empty and pointless – just an opportunity to see a movie star on stage.
Robert Downey Jr. is in a play about A.I. that makes no sense
2 / 10
But there’s a funny irony here: Celebrity vehicles about hot topics are proven Broadway cash cows, so isn’t “McNeal” itself the product of a predictive algorithm? Even if that’s some part of a meta point, the show is nevertheless a bloodless and convoluted mess.
McNeal History
Other Productions of McNeal
| 2024 | Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Broadway Premiere Producion Broadway |
McNeal - 2024 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection and Video Design | Jake Barton |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Robert Downey, Jr. |
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