Berkshire on Stage

Lovemaking, music, and laughter greet us before the lights come up on the Elayne P. Bernstein stage in Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in The Clair de Lune. Tony-award winning McNally wrote this play in the mid-eighties to deal with the loss of two best friends during the AIDS crisis. The successful movie of the same name starred Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. This play was revived on Broadway in 2002 and 2019, the latter starring Tony award winner, Audra McDonald. McNally’s career spanned decades and his love and knowledge of music led him to write for musicals as well. Not surprisingly, music plays a role in this play.

McNally’s play takes place in Frankie’s unimpressive, cramped studio apartment in New York City. Frankie (Jennifer Apple) is a waitress at a diner where Johnnie (Jamal James) is a cook. Both had been attracted to each other at work. Both are middle-aged and have a history of failed relationships and disappointments. After a first date, they wind up having sex in Frankie’s sofa bed. This first encounter proves to be the easiest part of their relationship.

Rather than a conflict with a beginning, middle, and resolution, McNally’s play presents the evolution of a relationship in tight quarters over 24 hours. Initially, Johnny is all in, falling quickly in love and ready to get married. Frankie, on the other hand, spends much of the first act resistant to Johnny’s enthusiasm. The more he pulls her toward him, the more she pushes him away. He never wants to leave; she begs for him to go. He stares at her intently; she finds his staring creepy and uncomfortable. At the same time, Johnny likes the room dark and hates bright lights, especially while making love. Frankie prefers the lights on. Both are hiding parts of themselves. Frankie fears giving anything away.  To Johnny she complains, “You’re too needy. You want too much. I can’t.”

Coincidences in their lives keep appearing: the deaths of their mothers, their hometown, their names being the same as the song written by Bill Dooley about an ill-fated couple. Johnny delights in their shared past. Frankie questions its veracity.

By the end of the first act, Frankie and Johnny somehow find themselves in a better place. However, by Act II, lovemaking is less easy for Johnny. Both share the more troublesome parts of their romantic history. Both are vulnerable. Johnny notes his love of Shakespeare, often spouting quotes from plays. Frankie feels less educated and struggles with some of the vocabulary he uses.

James, as Johnny, is likable and believable. He easily embodies this talkative, determined romantic who feels clear he needs to win over Frankie. Apple gives Frankie the ambivalence needed to both feel attracted to and flirt with Johnny, yet also protect herself from getting hurt as she has been in the past. The chemistry between the couple is obvious. Both are very comfortable in their roles. We can see the mixed emotions going through their heads as they negotiate their relationship.

Music plays throughout this play. Starting with Bach’s Goldberg Variations playing on the radio, the melody becomes their love song. The radio DJ whom Johnny calls plays Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” as a dedication to their love.

Food is another theme, with each cooking basic comfort food for the other during the course of the play. Frankie prepares a meatloaf sandwich for Johnny and begs for him to make her a western omelet, complete with sauteed peppers and onions.

Director Nicole Ricciardi pulls a sincere relationship from her two actors, while making us feel the energy in this small apartment lit by moonlight. We can imagine the scenes described outside the window of other troubled couples in the building next door.

Frankie and Johnny begin the play naked in bed, yet Costume Designer Christina Beam clothes them in appropriate boxers, bathrobes and street wear when they dress.

Notable in the set design is John McDermott’s bright patchwork quilt. The apartment looks dingy and not well-cared for. The quilt is unusually cheerful. We see the possibility for joy. Also impressive is the working stovetop to believably make the western sandwich.

Madeleine Hebert’s lighting works well along with the sound emanating from the radio throughout the play. Remember house radios? Sound Designer Amy Altadona helps to bring this play back to the 80s.

Music, food, love and trust are the basic elements Frankie and Johnny need to sustain their relationship. McNally likely came to this realization after dealing with devastating losses. Not much has changed in life. McNally’s play, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Ricciardi’s direction, and strong performances by Apple and James make us realize that we need very little to feel cared for and safe.

Shakespeare & Company presents Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally, directed by Nicole Ricciardi, July 30-August 23, 2026 in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre in Lenox, MA. CAST: Jennifer Apple as Frankie and Jamal James as Johnny. CREATIVE TEAM: Sound Designer Amy Altadonna, Costume Designer Christina Beam, Stage Manager Nathaniel Bokaer, Lighting Designer Madeleine Hebert, Scenic Designer John McDermott, Assistant Stage Managers Kulia McLaughlin & Melissa Ziccardi.

Content Advisory: Frankie & 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.