Ad Astra Production
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Play by Terrence McNally
Directed by Fiona Kennedy
Space | Pluto
Season | October 29 - November 22, 2025
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To open our new black box theatre, Pluto, Ad Astra brings you a comedy, the romance of the waitress and the short order cook, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, by the American playwright and screen writer, Terrence McNally.
The play opens with the audience in the dark and the sounds of enthusiastic lovemaking. What begins as a first date fling in Frankie’s 1980’s New York walk-up tenement, evolves into a search, almost a battle, for connection. Wild passion is followed by unbridled, witty interplay between two fascinating, lonely characters: the romantic and the realist, the grandiose and the introverted.
Johnny is certain that he wants to marry Frankie and have children. She is not convinced. He asks, “How well do you want to know me?” She answers,
I’ll let you know Monday between orders. “I got a BLT down working!” “Tell me about your childhood.” “Take the moo out of two!” “Were you toilet trained?”
The first production off Broadway in 1987 starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham and revivals have included Stanley Tucci and Rosie Perez, but audiences may be most familiar with the film version, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino.
This play celebrates intimacy and vulnerability. It is funny, disconcerting and poignant: all that black box theatre should be. Come for date night. You’ll be startled, and glad.
Content Warnings ; Partial Nudity
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How do you stage a musical with a live band in the tiniest of the city’s theatres? How do you convince people of a show that has been called the ‘Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened’? How do you condense a full Broadway ensemble to a mere 8 actors and ask them to perform one of the most complicated musical theatre scores? When I decided to put on Stephen Sondheim’s often forgotten masterpiece, "Merrily We Roll Along," all these questions ran through my mind. The answer was simple: surround yourself with the most dedicated, skilled, and passionate team of performers and creatives whose enthusiasm for this show almost exceeded my own. This show has been an absolute labour of love for me and the entire team.
Thank you so much to Ad Astra for the opportunity to stage this show. Their passion for programming interesting and challenging theatre is driving our local theatre scene forward. Thank you to the creative team: Ben Murray, Tess Hill, James Shaw, and Wes Bluff. Your work, as always, was full of skill and passion that resonates throughout the stage. Thank you to our band led by Ben, who make this incredibly complex score sound incredible. A very special thank you to Stage Manager/Production Manager Caitlin Scott, who has gone above and beyond every single day to get this show on stage. Finally, thank you to this phenomenal cast. They have worked so hard and dug so deep to explore every corner of this complex and dense show. I won’t say more because I think their work speaks for itself.
"Merrily We Roll Along" is a fascinating character study. It boasts a quintessential Sondheim score and complex narrative structure. In short, it is everything you want a great musical to be. Yet it is rarely performed. In an age where we see too many blockbuster musicals over and over again, it is such a privilege to have the opportunity to bring this masterpiece to a Queensland stage for the first time. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. It’s our time, and we are just going to breathe it in.
Tim Hill
Director
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Johnny | Gregory Wilken
Frankie |
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Director | FIona Kennedy
Assistant Director | Prue Robb
Stage Manager | Izzy Foland
Lighting and Sound Design | Kyle Royal - West
Production Assistant - Nicholas Hargreaves
Show Poster
These reviews are of previous productions until the season commences.
Upon its premiere, the play was lauded for its candid portrayal of intimacy and vulnerability. Critics praised McNally's nuanced writing and the compelling performances that brought Frankie and Johnny's complex relationship to life.
A 2022 production at The Pear Theatre was commended for its technical design and the actors' authentic portrayals, creating an immersive experience. TheatreStorm
In 2024, an unconventional staging in Knoxville placed the audience in close proximity to the performers, enhancing the play's intimate atmosphere. Arts Knoxville
