FRANKIE & JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE Comes to The Gamm Theatre
Performances run November 6-30.
By: Stephi Wild Oct. 13, 2025
The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre will begin its 2025-26 subscription season with Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Terrence McNally's intense and intimate two-character play is the story of a steamy one-night stand that blossoms unexpectedly into love.
Gamm Associate Artistic Director Rachel Walshe directs Gamm newcomer Liliane Klein as Frankie and Anthony Goes (Between Riverside and Crazy, True West) as Johnny in an unfiltered romance revealing the complexities of a relationship in middle age and also the beauty of mutual acceptance.
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune runs from November 6-30. Tickets range from $60-$80 with discounts for subscribers and members.
Originally produced more than 30 years ago off Broadway, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a runaway hit and is one of McNally's most acclaimed plays. It was also turned into a feature film with Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. A 2019 Broadway production got a Tony Award nomination for Best Revival of a Play.
Walshe calls Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune “a theater maker's dream and a glorious gift to audiences” for its unsentimental script and the questions it provokes.
“We get up close and deeply personal with two lovers on a fateful night in a cramped NYC apartment. Is this a one-night stand? Is this the beginning of a long and happy marriage? Are the characters meant for each other? Is any one of us actually meant for anyone?” Walshe says. “Romantic, painful, surprising, and painstakingly realistic, Frankie and Johnny lets us indulge in the promise of love at first sight. At the same time, it reminds us that such notions are the stuff of storybooks, and true intimacy is incredibly rare often leaving deep and lasting scars in its pursuit.”
ABOUT FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE
After working a late shift at a New York diner, short-order cook Johnny persuades waitress Frankie to stay a little longer. What begins as a one-night stand turns into an intimate journey of vulnerability, trust, and the hope that love might still be possible in middle age. With sparkling dialogue and aching honesty, this romantic two-hander reminds us that sometimes, the quietest stories are the most profound. This tender, raw, and surprisingly funny portrait of two lonely souls reaching for connection is McNally at his best.
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