Frankie
and Johnny in the Clair de Lune ★★★★
Newcastle Northern Stage
Until Saturday 2nd June
2018
By Terrence McNally
Director: Mark Calvert
Designer: Rhys Jarman
Lighting Designer: Zia Bergin-Holly
Sound Designer: Nick John Williams
Assistant Director: Holly Gallagher
Fight Director: Neil Tattershall
Voice Coach: Helen Jane Simmons
Northern
Stage have had a fabulous 2018 so far and they carry on in this fine vane with the
RomCom Frankie and Johnny…
The
set and the audience both fit on Stage 1 – the bed sit/apartment is in the
centre of the stage with both halves of the audience facing each other. The use
of a traverse stage is nothing new but sitting on the stage with the curtains
closed does make for a very intimate experience. Adding to this are the windows
of the apartment block surrounding Frankie’s apartment and the walls cut out of
just the one room. Voyeuristic theatre indeed. The apartment itself is fully
functioning with sink, cooker, fridge, tv and lamps that will all come in to
use at some point. Rhys Jarman has excelled once again.
Having
said that, whilst the setting is different, this feels like a classic Northern
Stage-style production. I’ve not said that in a while. We have been coming here
since we arrived in Newcastle in 1990 and the shows often have a “feel” that
other theatres don’t seem to have – an identity, as it were. That’s the same for all theatres. It isn’t a
bad thing, it isn’t a criticism. The show feels comfortably ‘Northern Stage’. I
digress. Back to the review!
The
show begins with the audience looking at the two actors going through the
throws of passion through a net curtain. Subtle lighting means you don’t get to
see much but you know what’s happening and that’s enough to set the scene.
Frankie (Ruth Everett) is a waitress in New York. She is on her first date with
Johnny (Richard Blackwood) who has started work as a cook at the same place.
The film and the meal may not have been fruitful but clearly there has been
more success in the bedroom. Frankie goes for a dressing gown and the net curtain
swings open.
What
happens next will determine if the event is simply a one night stand or
something much more long lasting for the middle age couple. The pair keep
changing their ages when asked but you get the impression they may both be in
the 40s. With that age comes baggage and experience of past, failed, relationships.
That is why this story works. It isn’t a teen romance full of “what ifs” but a
middle aged tale of “I’ll avoid repeating the same mistakes if I can help it”.
The
Terrance McNally script is full of humour. Johnny is confident and wants to
pass ahead. Frankie seems much more cautious. Both have the emotional and,
literally, physical scars of their respective pasts to deal with. The internal demons of middle age. But what
will happen next once the initial sex stops? Will it be fun? Will it be
coercive? Annoying? Short lived? How will workmates react when they find out? And
more the point: what is that piano music currently playing on the radio?
The
audience are onlookers on a single night in the lives of two busy people.
Occasionally Frankie and Johnny look out and discuss the neighbours who are
still up at 3am, or the moon, the Clair
de Lune as they say in France.
The
characters are believable. Richard Blackwood’ Johnny exudes confidence, Ruth
Everett’s Frankie isn’t shy but remains cautious. Director Mark Calvert
succeeds once again in producing a sharply observed piece of theatre. This was a
much better interpretation than the film.
Review
by Stephen Oliver
Photos:
Pamela Raith Photography
Preview:
http://www.northeasttheatreguide.co.uk/2018/05/preview-frankie-and-johnny-at-newcastle.html
Running
time: 2hrs 20mins (incl. interval)
Age
recommendation: 14+ (contains sexual references)
Tickets:
Tickets start at £10. For full
details or to book tickets see https://www.northernstage.co.uk/Event/frankie-and-johnny-in-the-clair-de-lune
or call the box office on 0191 230 5151.
