NEW YORK _ In the dim light you can barely make out the figures, but the sounds make it perfectly clear what's going on _ a couple in the final moments of earth-moving passion. In the emotional and beautifully performed revival of Terrence McNally's 1987 "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune" at the Broadhurst Theatre, the ecstasy turns out to be fleeting, the couple completely at odds over where this relationship is going.
Frankie (Audra McDonald) is dubious as to whether this first date might warrant a second. Johnny (Michael Shannon) basically proposes marriage. These two lost souls _ she a waitress, he a short-order cook _ worked together for six weeks before he asked for a date. That they ended up back at her shabby West Side walk-up speaks less to romance than to a search for connection both seemingly gave up on long ago.
The play requires significant willingness to go with the vision of director Arin Arbus, especially when it comes to accepting the striking McDonald as an unattractive high school dropout whose previous abusive relationships left her scarred physically and emotionally. (Note there are brief moments of nudity for both actors.) But the six-time Tony Award winner pulls it off with an intense, finely nuanced performance, her every move calculated to portray her conflicted feelings.
