Good morning, and welcome to Broadway News’ Broadway Review by Brittani Samuel — our overview of reactions, recommendations and information tied to last night’s Broadway opening of “McNeal.”
RUNDOWN
“Broadway’s latest drama, ‘McNeal,’ written by Ayad Akhtar and directed by Bartlett Sher, presents a gripping exploration of obsession, creativity and the collision between human and artificial intelligence. Anchored by Robert Downey Jr.’s much-anticipated Broadway debut as the lead character Jacob McNeal, the production navigates a complex web of themes, blending the deeply personal with the existential.”
According to my timer, it took less than four seconds for ChatGPT to write that opening paragraph, synthesizing Akhtar’s new 100-minute play in only four heartbeats. The ungraspable power of this level of information regurgitation, as well as the seductiveness of passing machine-generated work as one’s own, are two focal points of the new play. “McNeal” centers on writer Jacob McNeal, in his late 60s and relying on artificial intelligence to help him with his latest book. While the chatbot I just used obviously has a handle on what “McNeal” is about, it’s less sure on who McNeal, the character, is — a trouble we share.
