Prayer for the French Republic on Broadway Tickets

By: Joshua Harmon
Director: David Cromer
Producer: Manhattan Theatre Club
Cast list: Betsy Aidem (as Marcelle), Ari Brand (as Lucien), Molly Ranson (as Molly), Nancy Robinette (as Irma), Francis Benhamou (as Elodie), Anthony Edwards (as Patrick), Aria Shahghasemi (as Daniel), Ethan Haberfield (as Young Pierre), Richard Masur (as Pierre), Nael Nacer (as Charles), Daniel Oreskes (as Adolphe)
Design: Takeshi Kata
Costumes: Sarah Laux
Lighting: Amith Chandrashaker
Sound: Daniel Kluger
Other info: Original music by Daniel Kluger, hair and makeup design by J. Jared Janas, vocal coaching by Gigi Buffington

Prayer for the French Republic is a play that opens with one couple living through World War II in 1944. Seventy years later, there's no threat of a world war to contend with, but the couple’s great-grandchildren experience modern acts of hatred, which make them contemplate leaving France altogether for Israel. The play gradually expands in scope as the ongoing question of the French Jewish family's safety gets passed down through five generations, all of whom repeatedly experience the effects of prejudice that began to fester long ago.

Harmon teamed up with Tony Award-winning director David Cromer (The Band's Visit) for the 2021 world premiere of the play at New York City Center, and Cromer returns to direct Prayer for the French Republic on Broadway. Manhattan Theatre Club produced both iterations of the show.

What to watch for

• Harmon made his MTC debut with Prayer for the French Republic off Broadway.
• Joshua Harmon is no stranger to the New York theatre scene. His 2015 play Significant Other premiered off Broadway with Roundabout Theatre Company and later transferred to Broadway, and his plays Bad Jews, Admissions, and Skintight (starring Idina Menzel) achieved Off-Broadway success.
• Harmon’s show was acclaimed before it even premiered! While in development, Prayer for the French Republic won the inaugural Theater J Trish Vradenberg New Jewish Play Prize.
• Prayer for the French Republic also won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and is the second of Harmon’s plays to do so! Skintight was the first in 2018.
• Prayer for the French Republic exhibits some parallels with Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt, which premiered on Broadway in 2022. That show follows the effect of the Nazi regime on multiple generations of a Jewish family in Austria. Actress Betsy Aidem starred in both shows.

Important Information

The use of cameras, cell phones, and other recording devices during the show is strictly prohibited by law, except when used for accessibility services. No weapons permitted on the premesis.

No outside food or beverages, electric scooters, e-bikes, or battery-powered transportation devices, except when medically necessary. All items are subject to inspection. Anything brought into the theatre must fit on your lap or completely under your seat without blocking any aisles.