Prayer for the French Republic Extends Broadway Premiere Before Performances Begin

The upcoming Broadway premiere of Joshua Harmon's Prayer for the French Republic has extended its run by two weeks before performances have even begun. The run will now continue through February 18, 2024 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre via Manhattan Theatre Club. Performances begin December 19 ahead of a January 9, 2024 opening night.

Starring in the play's Broadway bow will be Betsy Aidem (Leopoldstadt), Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk winner Francis Benhamou, Ari Brand, Molly Ranson, Nancy Robinette, Anthony Edwards (ER, Top Gun), and Aria Shahghasemi (Legacies), alongside Ethan Haberfield, Richard Masur, Nael Nacer, and Daniel Oreskes. Aidem, Benhamou, Brand, Ranson, and Robinette are all reprising their performances from the work's 2022 Off-Broadway world premiere, also staged by Manhattan Theatre Club.

The play begins in 1944 with a Jewish couple awaiting news of their missing family, and follows five generations of a French Jewish family in its examination of history, home, and the effects of an ancient hatred. The Off-Broadway run won the 2022 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Off-Broadway Play.

Tony winner David Cromer is directing after staging the Off-Broadway bow. Cromer has reassembled his original creative team, including scenic designer Takeshi Kata, costume designer Sarah Laux, lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker, composer and sound designer Daniel Kluger (taking the reigns solo after co-sound designing the Off-Broadway run with Lee Kinney), and hair and makeup designer J. Jared Janas. Gigi Buffington is vocal coach, and casting is by Caparelliotis Casting's Kelly Gillespie. Richard Hodge is production stage manager.

Visit ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

Look back at the 2022 Off-Broadway production below: