Falling in Love with Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon’s Broadway Play – And Then Meeting Them

I can’t say enough good things about Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon’s two-person play, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” that’s currently playing at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway. In fact, it’s now my recommendation for what to see if you happen to visit New York before the production closes Aug. 25.

But let’s back up a bit to this morning. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get up early enough to take a train to Midtown and then camp out at a box office for rush seats for a really popular show like "Hadestown" or "The Prom" after my late Saturday night seeing “The Ferryman.” But I figured I might have a shot with a less-popular show.

The first one I tried was “Kiss Me, Kate” with Kelli O’Hara and Corbin Bleu, which closes June 30 (and that I’ve been attempting to rush for a while now). But they didn’t have any rush seats available today – it looks like the rest of the run may sell out (it’s already close).

I dropped by “Hadestown” and “The Prom” on the way back to the 40-streets just in case, but no luck with those either (not that I thought they’d have anything, but sometimes you can get lucky if you only need a single seat).

My next choice was the play I ended up seeing, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.” Unfortunately, despite its top-notch quality, the show isn’t selling so well, and I’d be surprised if it makes it all the way to its Aug. 25 closing date based on the lagging box office receipts. BUT this also means I got a really cheap rush seat in the fourth row of the orchestra!

After my rush-seat success, I explored Times Square for a few hours before the 3 p.m. matinee. I walked by the New York Police Department headquarters …

… and also had one of my favorite free New York adventures: I rode the fancy capsule elevators in the ritzy Marriott Marquis Times Square hotel (all the ear popping)!

The Times Square Marriott is the second-largest hotel in the city, with nearly 2,000 rooms and 49 floors. I believe it – the lobby is on the eighth floor, and it’s, erm, rather expansive.

After joyriding some elevators, I walked back to the Broadhurst for my afternoon show, which, as I’ve already mentioned, was fantastic. Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon both delivered superb performances that were as hilarious as they were touching. It likely won’t happen, but give this play some Tony Awards! (It missed the 2019 cutoff and will probably be overlooked in the 2020 round, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve them!).

The play's premise is that a waitress and a cook’s first date evolves from a one-night stand into something more. Both Frankie (McDonald) and Johnny (Shannon) have baggage and scars, and are alternately tender with, raging at, and bemused by one another. McDonald is sassy; Shannon is persistent (and both are nude on stage at several points). It’s a fascinating two-and-a-half hours, and I yo-yoed between rooting for each of the two characters.

In lesser actors’ hands, I could see how this play could lack the magic the current production has. But unlike “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which could really succeed with almost any cast, this is a production whose specific strength is the skill of its actors rather than solely the script.

I was curious what the New York Times reviewers thought of the play after discovering last night that Ben Brantley loved “The Ferryman” (I did not). I was delighted to learn Jesse Green selected it as a “Critic’s Pick.” He described Shannon’s performance as “extraordinarily lucid” and commended him for evoking “the rare sensation of human thought and animal reality combining to form living character.” “He might do anything, you think:” Green wrote in his review, “bolt, go crazy, die on the spot.” Pretty much.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, "Frankie and Johnny" only has a 16-week run, as McDonald and Shannon are two of the busiest actors in the business. So see it now if you can!

I didn’t want to say goodbye to Frankie and Johnny by the play’s end, but fortunately, I got the chance to meet them again (well, their real-life counterparts) at the stage door after the show. McDonald and Shannon both came out to sign programs and take photos.

It was definitely a big change to see Shannon play a tender character after last seeing him on screen as the menacing Strickland in Guillermo del Toro’s film “The Shape of Water.” But he pulled it off!

I’d seen McDonald sing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in February, but had never seen her act on stage. She didn’t disappoint (as her record six Tonys would probably clue you in).

In short, I had an absolutely delightful afternoon. Hidden-gem plays like this are one of the reasons I love theater. I refuse to pit this play against “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” but those two productions are my favorites I’ve seen on Broadway.

I took the A train back to the East Village, which was surprisingly the first time I’ve ridden Duke Ellington’s famous line. I stopped by Mulberry Street for Little Italy Round 2, featuring more cannoli and a cheese cone, this time from Caffe Palermo. The cheese cone is deceiving – it looks like a hard cone, but it’s actually soft and squishy cheesecake in cone form! (Imagine my surprise when I tried to pick it up and discovered it was deliciously sticky and fluffy).

My verdict on the cannoli: Ferrara Bakery’s was better. But still searching for the perfect cannoli.

Coming up this week: I’m working the evening editing shift at the Times Monday through Friday, a.k.a. getting back to my apartment after midnight. Bring on the deadlines!