Cynthia Nixon returns to Broadway in ‘Marjorie Prime,’ launching a winter run with June Squibb

Cynthia Nixon is back on Broadway this week, stepping into Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime as the production begins previews at the Hayes Theater. New production images released today spotlight Nixon alongside Oscar nominee June Squibb, Tony winner Danny Burstein, and Christopher Lowell—an ensemble built to carry the play’s intimate, time-bending questions about memory, technology, and family legacy.

Cynthia Nixon’s new role and why it matters now

The role places Nixon as Tess, a daughter navigating grief, aging, and the uneasy comfort of artificial intelligence. It’s a part that aligns with Nixon’s longtime strength on stage: emotionally precise, conversational performances that reveal pressure points without announcing them. On the heels of a high-visibility stretch in television and public advocacy, the return to a chamber-sized play signals a recalibration—fewer fireworks, more interiority, and a chance to let audiences sit close enough to feel the pulse of a conversation.

Inside ‘Marjorie Prime’: a quietly futuristic family drama

Marjorie Prime imagines a near future in which “Primes”—A.I. projections of deceased loved ones—help families preserve memory. The premise sounds sci-fi, but the play moves like a living-room drama: awkward pauses, unfinished sentences, and the tug-of-war between what happened and what we choose to remember. Nixon’s Tess must decide how much of the past to keep and how much to smooth over as she interacts with a digital companion built from anecdotes and omissions. The ethical stakes are intimate rather than cosmic, which is exactly where this company excels.

Key creative and cast notes

• Playwright: Jordan Harrison, whose script was a Pulitzer finalist and has become a staple for theaters seeking thoughtful sci-fi without spectacle.

• Director: Anne Kauffman, a specialist in calibrated, actor-forward productions where silence is as meaningful as speech.

• Cast: June Squibb as Marjorie, Danny Burstein in a pivotal supporting role, Christopher Lowell rounding out the principal quartet, and Cynthia Nixon as Tess.

Performance timeline and what to expect in previews

Previews are underway now at the Hayes Theater, with an evening performance slated for today. As is standard in this phase, audiences can expect subtle trims and adjustments as the team tightens pacing and clarifies emotional beats ahead of opening later this month. For a play built on small temperature shifts—who looks away, who fills in a gap—previews are especially valuable; even a line break can change the scene’s temperature by a few degrees.

Preview pointers for theatergoers

• Run time: Expect a compact evening (typically around 90 minutes, no intermission), ideal for a midweek outing.

• Sightlines matter: This is a conversation-driven play; seats closer to center can heighten the effect as micro-reactions land.

• Post-show aura: It’s a “walk and talk” production—plan time after to argue over whether memory should be faithful or kind.

Nixon’s stage craft meets a timely conversation

Nixon’s stage career has long toggled between public urgency and private reckoning, and Marjorie Prime threads that needle. While the play predates today’s generative A.I. boom, its questions feel freshly pointed in 2025: Who owns our stories? Which version of a person lives on when technology is the curator? Nixon’s Tess resists easy sentimentality, resisting a clean reconciliation in favor of something truer to how families actually operate—half-truths, white lies, and the occasional flash of generosity.

The ensemble alchemy: June Squibb, Danny Burstein, Christopher Lowell

• June Squibb brings wry mischief to Marjorie, reminding the audience that humor often precedes heartbreak.

• Danny Burstein supplies the gentle ballast a memory play needs—warmth with an undercurrent of unease.

• Christopher Lowell adds modern texture, a presence that makes the near-future premise feel like it’s happening next door rather than in a lab.

Together, they give Nixon space to play defense and offense, protecting a family story while interrogating the cost of tidying it up.

Why this Broadway run lands at the right moment for Cynthia Nixon

For an artist equally associated with television iconography and New York civic life, returning to a spare, idea-forward play is a statement. It says the engine is still the work: four actors, a room, and unflashy questions that linger longer than a plot twist. It also keeps Nixon anchored in the city’s cultural calendar during a season packed with splashier titles—confidence that a quiet show can cut through with craft.

What’s next to watch

• Opening-night refinements: Keep an eye on how the production trims transitions and sharpens the final scenes as it moves from preview to press.

• Awards positioning: With a decorated cast and a resonant theme, expect the spring conversation to include this run, especially for performances that balance restraint with impact.

• Audience word-of-mouth: This piece thrives on post-show discussion; early buzz will likely travel fast among theatergoers looking for something thoughtful amid the holiday rush.

Marjorie Prime gives Cynthia Nixon a winter canvas for the skills that made her a stage name first: clarity, control, and the courage to leave space for an audience to finish the thought. In a season of big spectacle, this is the small, human story that might follow you home.