‘Frankie and Johnny’ returns with McDonald & Shannon

FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by Arin Arbus
Through August 25, 2019
Broadhurst Theatre
235 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), https://www.frankieandjohnnybroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Frankie and Johnny in the Clare de Lune first opened at Stage 2 of the Manhattan Theater Club in June 1987 with Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham, who was followed by Kenneth Welsh. As described, Frankie is a fat, frumpy waitress who is emotionally defined by her unattractiveness. She is a waitress in the diner where Johnny is a short-order cook who is in good physical condition. There was a revival in 2002 with Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci at the Belasco Theatre. Ms. Falco wasn’t fat or unattractive but had her share of hang-ups, and Stanley Tucci in that version was hot.

The current incarnation gives us a different slant of these two people; they are both still damaged souls and desperately seeking a connection. They are both fairly attractive but come with a lot of baggage. After six weeks of working together, Frankie and Johnny finally go out on a date and, from the onset of the play, we find them having explosive sex in her apartment.

Naturally for Johnny, (Michael Shannon), he feels he found his soul mate and they are meant for each other as in the song “Frankie and Johnny.” However, for Frankie (Audra McDonald) she is more cautious and feels once the deed is over, it is time for Johnny to leave. This is not going to happen. Johnny is persistent, and does everything to convince Frankie he is her man. Their differences are also their similarities. They’ve both made bad choices throughout their lives and have had consequences to pay for it. Johnny sees it as a last chance for love and redemption; Frankie is just afraid of commitment and the fear of being beaten up again. It is ultimately music that starts to bring these two together. On this particular night, Johnny calls up a radio station DJ to play the beautiful song they heard earlier that night, but the DJ instead plays the enthralling “Clare de Lune” by Claude Debussy

What makes the piece exciting is the casting. Michael Shannon is a revelation here for multiple reasons. If you ever saw him in films like The Shape of Water, Nocturnal Animals or Revolutionary Road, he does not come off as the genial “nice guy next door.” He is intense. Intense. So, Frankie has got to be thinking what the hell has she gotten herself into with this overzealous could-be psycho, who she will ultimately have to face again on Monday at the diner? The harder part of the two characters in this case is Johnny’s, not only does he have to seduce Frankie, he has to seduce the entire audience in rooting for him. In an odd perverse way, we would all like to have such a committed person in our life. His seductive manner is overpowering, but his intentions are always true and good. He brings humanity in the purest form to Johnny.

Ms. McDonald has to be constantly on her guard as whether Johnny is for real or another Saturday night crackpot. She puts barriers up, and he methodically brings them down. Matched together, Ms. McDonald’s Frankie could easily throw Johnny out of her apartment if she wanted to; she is that strong a woman. Also, what works against Ms. McDonald are the hideous costumes she has to wear, for they strip her of any femininity and vulnerability. Her Frankie could have used those two characteristics, and matched Mr. Shannon in charming and seducing the audience to her side of thinking. Instead, she just settles for the frumpiness.

This is one of Terrence McNally’s most charming and delicate plays and very accessible. However, in this case, the Broadhurst Theatre becomes a cavernous venue for such a delicate piece. The apartment in use is a studio in Hell’s Kitchen, but at the Broadhurst Theatre, it seems like a three-bedroom apartment, so a lot of the cramped, in-your-face, claustrophobic tensions are lost. Perhaps the show should have waited for the smaller venue, the Booth Theatre (which will be available soon), where the fireworks of these two talented and overwhelming leads would have ricocheted off the walls.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 5, 2019
Reviewed at June 4, 2019 press performance.

‘FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE’: Audra McDonald & Michael Shannon. Photo: Deen van Meer