The Antiquities

Tweet

Jordan Harrison’s plays like Marjorie Prime and Log Cabin tend to use magical realism in stories that are typically set in the future. A co-production of Playwrights Horizons, the Vineyard Theatre and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, his new play The Antiquities is more of the same. Beautifully directed by David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan and convincingly acted by a company of nine in multiple roles, the play is one of those sci-fi cautionary tales that requires a suspension of disbelief. It also gives away most of its surprises in its full title: A Tour of the Permanent Collection in the Museum of Late Human Antiquities.

Extremely episodic in 27 short scenes spanning from 1816 to 2240, the play is two parts, the first progressing in chronological order from the past to the future, and the second part occurring in reverse order and including a sequel, a prequel or a follow-up to each scene already played. The play’s premise is that Artificial Intelligence has replaced the human race and we as AI beings are visiting a museum of actual artifacts and recreated scenes depicting those days of the late human race.

Containing a prologue and an epilogue narrated by two “inorganic” female curators from the museum, the first flashback sets the tone of examples of human technology with the famous evening at the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva in June 1816 in which poets Shelley and Lord Byron and Shelley’s girlfriend Mary Godwin (later his wife) all created ghost stories. At the end of the play in the completion of this scene, Mary composes the tale of Frankenstein, but here instead of a monster, the title character is described as a computer, one of the many things that the creatures of the future get wrong about our civilization.

Further scenes depict the dangers of “human technology.” During the Industrial Revolution, machines snip off fingers. In 1978, an engineer builds an early robot. AIDS rears its ugly head and begins killing off humans. A family gathers round their first computer and go on the Internet. Artificial Intelligence is invented and proof of its sentience is detected. AI supplants human beings and those left are either on the run or go underground. By the year 2240, the only humans left have reverted to early technology like the butter churn instead of machines. An interlude between the play’s two parts called “The Reliquary” displays items of “human achievement” from the previous scenes as though treasures in a museum – which in the context of the play they are.

The cast doubles playing between five and six roles each in the various scenes and time periods, making each completely distinct from their others. These include Cindy Cheung, Marchánt Davis, Layan Elwazani, Andrew German, Julius Rinzel, Aria Shahghasemi, Kristen Sieh, Ryan Spahn and Amelia Workman, none of whose parts are listed in the program and they remain somewhat anonymous. However, they are all immediately recognizable in the same parts in the second half of the play.

Brenda Abbandandolo’s excellent costumes for the different time periods helps keeps the characters and eras straight. The minimalist sets by Paul Steinberg which have one important technological item in each scene also allow for smooth transitions. Much of Tyler Micoleau’s lighting design is quite dark giving the play a somber mood in keeping with its grim theme. Leah Loukas’ wig and hair design aids with the changing historical eras as various times are depicted.

The Antiquities does not answer one important question that is dealt with in the recent robot musical Maybe Happy Ending: if the human race is wiped out who will reboot or power up the computers, robots and artificial intelligence systems when they run out of power? Like much science fiction, the play requires suspension of disbelief as we are given no answer to this dilemma. Although The Antiquities is a very dark ride, it is a very timely cautionary tale as Artificial Intelligence increasingly invades our human world.

The Antiquities (extended through March 2, 2025)

Playwrights Horizons, Vineyard Theatre and Goodman Theatre

The Judy Theater at Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42^nd Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-279-4200 or visit http://www.phnyc.org

Running time: one hour and 40 minutes without an intermission