McNeal (play)

Stage play by Ayad Akhtar

McNeal

Broadway Promotional Poster

Written by| Ayad Akhtar
Directed by| Bartlett Sher
Date premiered| September 30, 2024
Place premiered| Vivian Beaumont Theater
Original language| English
Genre| Drama
Setting| Present-day United States

McNeal is a one-act stage play written by Ayad Akhtar.[1]

## Summary and response

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The play deals with topics such as artificial intelligence, artistic integrity, plagiarism, and copyright infringement.

Emily Eakins of The New York Times called the play "provocative...Akhtar pushes beyond the confines of the usual morality play"[2] and Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic called the play "transfixing in part because it tracks without flinching the disintegration of a celebrated writer, and in part because Akhtar goes to a place that few writers have visited so effectively—the very near future, in which large language models threaten to undo our self-satisfied understanding of creativity, plagiarism, and originality" .[3]

## Production history

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### Broadway (2024)

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Previews of the play began on Broadway on September 5, 2024, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. The show officially opened on September 30.[4] It was directed by Bartlett Sher.[5]

The production's limited engagement ran until November 24, 2024, finishing with 23 previews and 53 regular performances.[6]

## Cast and characters

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Character  | Broadway[7]

|

2024
Jacob McNeal | Robert Downey Jr.
Francine Blake  | Melora Hardin
Sahra Grewal  | Ruthie Ann Miles
Stephie Banic  | Andrea Martin
Natasha Brathwaite  | Brittany Bellizeare
Harlan McNeal  | Rafi Gavron
Dipti  | Saisha Talwar

## Publication

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The play was published in The Atlantic in December 2024 with a foreword by Jeremy Strong.[8]

## References

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1. ^ Leverlino, Stephen. "Robert Downey Jr. to make his Broadway debut: 'Hopefully I'll knock the dust off'". ABC News. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
2. ^ Eakin, Emily (January 2, 2025). "The Plagiarism Plot is Having a Moment. Copy That". The New York Times.
3. ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (September 30, 2024). "The Playwright in the Age of AI". The Atlantic.
4. ^ Huston, Caitlin (September 10, 2024). "Broadway Box Office: Robert Downey Jr.'s 'McNeal' Sells Out First Four Previews". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
5. ^ Paulsen, Michael (May 7, 2024). "Robert Downey Jr. to Make Broadway Debut in Ayad Akhtar Play". New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
6. ^ https://playbill.com/production/mcneal-broadway-vivian-beaumont-theater-2024
7. ^ "McNeal". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
8. ^ "McNeal". The Atlantic. December 4, 2024.

## External links

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* Official website
* ​McNeal​ at the Internet Broadway Database
* [1]
* https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/mcneal-ayad-downey-play-ai/
* McNeal script \- published in The Atlantic

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