Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune

Do you believe in love and romance – at any age? Then you need to meet Frankie and Johnny at Ad Astra’s newest intimate theatre – Pluto. And to open this new creative space, the team could not have chosen a better play – or better performers. Deftly selected by the play’s director, Fiona Kennedy, this cosy two-hander, set in a New York apartment in the mid-1980s, brings out the best in the up-close-and-personal Pluto. While the city outside is a place rife with realism and devoid of romance, a one-night stand between old-enough-to-know-better co-workers, waitress Francis (Frankie) and short-order cook Johnny, is about to change all that. It felt exhilarating to be in the audience for such a witty and personal play, with such a talented and generous cast. The script by the award-winning Terrence McNally is all about longing and connection – and these actors make the characters so real that I admit to a few tears. But then, their authentic New York accents and easy humour snapped me back to the funny side of mid-life romance. As Frankie, Candice Hill (He Loves Me Not, Harrow) is totally entrancing as the perfect mixture of laugh-out-loud loveable and sharp-as-a-tack rude. The moonlight shining through Frankie’s apartment window, and the late-night radio playlist are the only clues to what lies beneath her harsh exterior. You can see why Johnny is determined to break down her defences and get to the heart of the matter. As Johnny, Nathaniel Currie (Shrek: The Musical, The Sound of Music) will become everyone’s favourite hopeless romantic. Yes, Johnny can be annoying, but you can’t help but fall in love with him – and wonder how long it will be until Frankie catches up. There’s an added bonus for this production, as Stacie Hobbs (My Fair Lady, Legally Blonde) plays Frankie for some alternate performances on 8, 15 and 20 November. So, you can see the play twice and enjoy the meeting of these two characters all over again!

Like all New Yorkers, Frankie and Johnny are sometimes brash and have rough edges (with confronting language), but underneath it all are genuine hearts of gold. However, unlike the clichés, this tale has a delicious twist – while it is usually the man who is afraid of the L-word, and the woman who is quick to pin fate on any irrelevant connection (“Frankie and Johnny, like the song”; “You’re from Allentown? I was born in Allentown!”), here Frankie and Johnny flip that quicker than a New York minute. There are the inevitable clashes – she likes bright kitchens; he prefers mood lighting; she is determined to sabotage her own chance of happiness – with any excuse, even ‘I could never be seriously involved with someone who says ‘pardon my French’…”; while he wants to jump right in. But they both love to eat! And they both love movies and good music. There are other breadcrumbs … Frankie once wanted to be an actress; and Johnny is aspirational – he reads Shakespeare and prefers his stomping ground to be called “Brooklyn Heights. Please, don’t get us confused with the rest of the borough.”

If, like me, you love films set in New York, then you’ll love this backdrop because the city is also a central character in this play – through the distinctive humour and the impressions of life outside the apartment. In this regard, the set design and construction are excellent, bringing the city to life, with sound and lighting design by Kyle Royall-West. As a piece penned in the 1980s, this play is two acts’ long, but with expert direction by Fiona Kennedy, time whisks by and at the end you will want to spend MORE time with Frankie and Johnny. Unlike the Hollywood version with Pacino and Pfeiffer, the stage play has real heart. There are no cheesy diner scenes, just the late-night moonlight and two fragile characters cocooned together with their secret hopes and aspirations. Nostalgia for the past is provided by Marlon, the late-night radio DJ and the Debussy tune he spins that gives the play its title. Or as Johnny says: “The most beeooootiful music …”

I know it’s been a huge team effort to premiere this play in Pluto, so I must mention Ad Astra’s Assistant Director, Prue Robb; Stage Manager, Isabel Folland; and support team Nicholas Hargreaves and Heidi Gledhill.

Treat yourself and meet Frankie and Johnny at Ad Astra. After an encounter with these two wonderful characters, you will really feel that you have been in New York for a short, magical moment.

Beth Keehn

Photographs by Ad Astra

Find out more: www.adastracreativity.com/productions/frankie-johnny