Review: FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIRE DE LUNE at Shakespeare & Company

Written by Terrance McNally in 1987, the play opens in the dark with a couple making love in her one-room walk-up apartment in Manhattan.  They are, “Johnny”, a short order cook, played by Jamal James, and, “Frankie”, a waitress played by Jennifer Apple.  Johnny is certain he has found his soulmate in Frankie.  She, on the other hand, is far more cautious and disinclined to jump to conclusions and at first has written off the encounter as a one night stand.   As the night unfolds, they slowly reveal themselves to each other as they take tentative steps towards the possible start of a new relationship. During their interlude, Johnny calls the radio station they have been listening to and requests, “the most beautiful music ever written”.  In response, Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune plays.  Johnny beckons Frankie to join him at the window and bask in the “light of the moon” (the piece’s title translated to English from French) in this tender, funny, and deeply human play, about two people standing at the edge of connection.  What unfolds is an intimate conversation filled with humor, vulnerability, and longing. Johnny, a hopeful romantic, believes he may have found something rare and real. Frankie, shaped by past disappointments, keeps her defenses firmly in place. As they circle each other- sometimes clashing, sometimes connecting - the play reveals the quiet courage it takes to risk love after life has left its marks.

The two-hour play (presented with one 15-minute intermission) has earned widespread praise for its raw emotional depth, humor, and tender romance.  This is due in large part to McNally’s brilliant script, a virtual symphony of words and human emotion.   Jennifer Apple, who plays Frankie, “compared it to Shakespeare, in terms of verbosity, noting that the dialogue weaves between lofty verse and late- ‘80s vernacular as it pleases”. 

In this case it is also due to the skill of Director Nicole Riccardi, as well as the quality of the work of the cast and crew under her direction.  Both Jamal James and Jennifer Apple are very comfortable and familiar with their characters, making it that much stronger a performance that draws audience members in deeply.  The creative team includes Set Designer John McDermott, Lighting Designer Madeleine Hebert, Costume Designer Christina Beam, Sound Designer Amy Altadonna, Intimacy Director Hannah Williams, Fight Director Ryan Winkles, Stage Manager Nathaniel Bokaer, and Assistant Stage Managers Kulia McLaughlin and Melissa Ziccardi.

“Both characters have “signposts” for vulnerability, Jamal James (“Frankie”) said, but the feelings are “masked” in different ways for each of them; informing the audience as to “why they act the way they do, what they’re going for, what they’re trying to reject” is of the essence, he said. 

Please note the following CONTENT ADVISORY: FRANKIE and JOHNNY takes an honest, often funny look at two adults on the late-night hours of a first date.  Please be advised that the production includes moments of sexual intimacy and brief nudity.

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