Wikipedia

McNeal (play)

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

McNeal
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Broadway promotional poster
Original languageEnglish
Written byAyad Akhtar
GenreDrama
SettingPresent-day United States
Premiere
DateSeptember 30, 2024
PlaceVivian Beaumont Theater
Directed byBartlett Sher

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]

Austria (2025)

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The Austrian premiere of the play began at the Burgtheater in March 2025 starring Joachim Meyerhoff as Jacob McNeal.[7][8]

Düsseldorf (2025)

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In September 2025, the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus production premieres, starring Thiemo Schwarz as Jacob McNeal. It's directed by German director Philipp Rosendahl and choreographed by Canadian choreographer Alessia Ruffolo.[9]

Milwaukee (2026)

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McNeal became the best‑selling production in the history of the newly named at the Herro‑Franke Studio Theater, a blackbox theater at the Milwaukee Rep.[10] Directed by Mark Clements, the titular role was played by Peter Bradbury, with Jeanne Paulsen as Stephie, Ty Fanning as Holden, N’Jameh Camara as Natasha, Jessica Ko as Dr. Sahra, Sara Sadjadi as Dipti and Bridget Ann White as Francine.[11]

Cast and characters

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Character Broadway[12]
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.[13]

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. ↑ "Der Fall McNeal | Burgtheater". www.burgtheater.at. June 15, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Technisch überholt und moralisch entkleidet - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Schauspielhaus, Düsseldorfer. "Der Fall McNeal | D'haus - Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus". www.dhaus.de (in German). Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  10. ↑ "McNeal Becomes the Best‑Selling Show in Milwaukee Rep's Studio Theater History". Milwaukee Community Journal. March 19, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ "McNeal". Milwaukee Rep. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  12. ↑ "McNeal". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "McNeal". The Atlantic. December 4, 2024.
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