Frankie & Johnny Return to Tinsel Town–Screen & Stage Collide in Hollywood in Terrance McNally’s Classic

January 4th, 2008

Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune emerge from the vaults and make their move on the
Hudson Mainstage Theatre

By Jesse Schmitt

Who could forget Al Pacino and Michele Pfeiffer in the move of the same name? You don’t chose love, love chooses you; fuhugetaboutit! But the real truth remains still a mystery to many of those who were even familiar with the film. The fact remains that the 1987 play written by Terrance McNally originally starred not Michele Pfeiffer but Kathy Bates (!) in a dramatic departure from the film version and was much more stark than what Hollywood portrayed.

But as they say, everyone deserves a second chance and so under the associate production of renowned acting teacher to the stars, Larry Moss comes this exiting revival “Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune.” Set to open in previews on January 17th & 18th with the official opening on January 19th for an impressive length run until March 1, 2008 at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd) in Hollywood, this production promises to be a gem.

Set around the adroit story of Johnny, a short order cook and ex-con who is able to con his way into the lonely life of drifter waitress Frankie, this is a timeless love story for our modern times. It would seem that all at once too many of us are too consumed by ourselves to see the bigger picture or too immersed in the day to day melodrama to not be able to see the next foot in front of the last or to even know where that next step may lead. This is the plight of Frankie and it takes a one night stand and a Romeo pose from Johnny to show her that the only thing stronger than her desire to be left alone is his will not to let that happen.

We are all asked in seeing this play to hold up the looking glass and peer inside of our own lives and try to piece together the missing links. Many times when people speak of “life imitating art” they are being trite and are ignoring the much larger point that all of life imitates all of art because art is created from life. But the characters in Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune will still reach down to that most special, deepest part and the words of Mr. McNally will elicit both a laugh and a tear as you bring your hands together in applause.

If this restaging is anything like the recent revival on Broadway with Stanley Tucci and Edie Falco, then the Los Angeles theatre goers are in for quite a treat.

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