Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
82

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(431 Ratings)
Positive
89%
Mixed
9%
Negative
2%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Funny, Great writing, Romantic

About the Show

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and Tony and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon bring new life to the bruised dreamers of Terrence McNally's timely and timeless romance.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (431)

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204 Reviews | 13 Followers
91
Relevant, Intelligent, Great writing, Funny, Great acting

See it if Great chemistry between the two actors. Great dialogue with believable pathos about the difficult beginnings of relationships. Both superb.

Don't see it if you want to hear Audra McDonald sing; can't take nudity on stage; hate plays that don't have fast moving plots and are about relationships

1147 Reviews | 340 Followers
91
Refreshing, Absorbing, Funny, Great writing, Great acting

See it if you relate to the 80's scene of her middle age people dating, starting relationships, struggling in jobs in a very well-written & acted play

Don't see it if you do not like viewing the tension between two people on a first night of sex with nudity and frank talk.

50 Reviews | 41 Followers
90
Funny, Great acting, Delightful, Clever, Ambitious

See it if You want to see another facet of two powerhouses as actors on this little set that sets the stage for some tempestuous performances!!

Don't see it if Seeing Reality isn’t your cuppa tea. I know so many of these besmirched angels on stage in my life…worth the price of admission!

56 Reviews | 4 Followers
90
Delightful, Enchanting, Romantic, Great acting

See it if Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon. That is all. Seriously, a well written play, great acting.

Don't see it if you don't like nudity (brief moments), it has quirky moments

79 Reviews | 5 Followers
90
Refreshing, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if you like great acting telling a heartfelt story about everyday people working on having a relationship; you don't mind nudity/sexual content

Don't see it if you don't like plays about the hard reality of what it's like developing a relationship and exposing oneself; partial nudity/profanity

203 Reviews | 49 Followers
90
Entertaining, Edgy, Great writing, Great acting, Harsh

See it if you a want longish two hander about relationships. This is a beautiful written piece, masterfully performed.

Don't see it if you dislike shows with lots of dialogue and a single set. Sounds static, but is not. Read more

93 Reviews | 8 Followers
90
Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if a different play , entertaining, with good writing..

Don't see it if you don't like watching plays that contain nudity..

314 Reviews | 52 Followers
90
Funny, Must see, Riveting, Great writing, Great acting

See it if you want to see two great actors at the top of their game perform in an incredibly written play by Terrence McNally. Wow!

Don't see it if you don't like two character plays or if you need a lot of production values to keep you entertained. There is a bit of nudity also.

Critic Reviews (44)

Front Mezz Junkies
June 12th, 2019

“The two leading ‘love birds’ square off in this classic play, face to face before diving in and shedding all of their superfluous armor in an intense coming together that is, simply, a great start to this engagement. It’s clear once that first scene has come to its natural climax, that the two, dynamically played with a clarity for realistic pain and discomfort by the gloriously heart-breaking McDonald and the phenomenally determined Shannon, are on a difficult journey forward.”
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Exeunt Magazine
June 11th, 2019

"They are caricatures of under-educated people whose lives have gotten away from them. Worse, McNally seems to think, if you’re over forty, this is your absolute last chance at love so you should settle for this terrible person...It’s a strangely desperate gloss that this production never successfully addresses...The casting here is also a problem. McDonald may be dressed as dowdy as possible and yet still you feel like this beautiful woman could...do better than THIS GUY."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
May 30th, 2019

"Under Arbus’s exquisite direction, Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon play to perfection the EveryMan, EveryWoman, EveryOne seeking to overcome their finitude and fallibility to connect with another person in a meaningful way and establish a non-judgmental relationship against all odds. These two actors are stunning together...This is the best of the Broadway productions of 'Frankie and Johnny' and McNally’s play is more relevant today that perhaps it ever was."
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New York Theater
June 5th, 2019

"Ultimately lovely if overlong Broadway revival...The scene where he all but threatens her feels like a misstep, and probably could have been cut without discernible loss or damage to the whole...Still, even at its full two hours (plus intermission) over two acts, the play has enough humor, delicate pathos, specificity of detail, and psychological complexity to showcase McNally’s skills as a dramatist."
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C
May 30th, 2019

"Arbus treats much of the play's first act as an almost typical rom-com, focusing on McNally's sharp banter, jokes about farts and Brooklyn, and nostalgic small talk, all of which are clearly designed to cover up the couple's bigger feelings that will emerge in the second act. While this approach makes the pair feel a bit lightweight at times, it also has the major benefit of letting audiences witness McDonald's rarely-seen comic timing, which proves to be as expert as her dramatic one."
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Theatre's Leiter Side
June 6th, 2019

"For all the…lunar allusions,…moonlight little becomes the…dullish Broadway revival, even with such starry names as…McDonald and…Shannon…Given today's flood of 90-minute plays, this two-hour-and-15-minute revival could have used a trip to the editorial barbershop…By the end of Act One, Frankie and Johnny have had their ups and downs and come to a…resolution...In fact, it's easy to wonder why we need to return for a second act. Act Two fails to satisfy that question."
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Gotham Playgoer
May 30th, 2019

"The second act is repetitious and unruly and stretches the evening out too far. While I have unlimited admiration for Audra McDonald, her glamour and melodious voice work against her playing the beat-down Frankie. Michael Shannon is very much in his element. I thought they captured the play’s humor better than its pathos...Those who have not seen the play before will probably enjoy this production unless they are uncomfortable with nudity and rough language."
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Cultural Weekly
June 5th, 2019

"They are both equally brilliant in these departures from their familiar parts. McNally’s skillful script deceptively seems to only depict a one-night stand between the title loners in Frankie’s cramped apartment...Arbus perfectly balances the play’s comic and dramatic elements while Shannon juggles Johnny’s intensity and sweetness...Their bittersweet, push-pull dance of acceptance, resistance, pain, ecstasy, and meatloaf sandwiches is heartbreaking, joyous, and irresistible."
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