Modern Love: No Clothes and Much to Talk About

Imagine yourself in the throes of wild, passionate sex in a one-room Manhattan apartment. With bold nudity and sound effects to rival Meg Ryan's famous restaurant scene, the opening scene to Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune can only be described as the play's climax.

The Cabot Underground Theater production invites the audience for a night of physical and emotional intensity. As draining as an all-nighter and slightly anti-climactic, Terrence McNally's original play still beats the disappointing film version, Frankie and Johnny.

Frankie (Victoria Wei) and Johnny (David Ardell), waitress and cook at the same diner, are two lonely souls attempting to connect. The plot of many plays about relationships depends upon increasing sexual tension. Instead, this one focuses upon post-sexual tension. After the initial consummation of their first date, the two lovers spend the rest of the night exploring what Johnny calls "the disparity of human relations." Johnny proposes marriage, while Frankie attempts to kick him out of her apartment. Witty humor punctuates the fluctuation between the anger and tenderness.

Ardell plays a charismatic, dynamic and passionate Johnny. Ardell's confidence in the opening nude scene foreshadows his totally uninhibited performance. His infatuation and frustration are compelling, and he impresses the audience with a beer guzzling feat and a blood curdling scream.

Victoria Wei takes on the challenging role of the cynical and insecure Frankie. It is sometimes difficult to determine whether the self-consciousness belongs to the character or the actress. Compared to Ardell's drastic highs and lows, Wei's emotions were more limited in range. Her tears are convincing and her anger impassioned, but the slaps appear staged.

Directed by Henry Bial and produced by Robyn Yilmaz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune makes excellent use of the Cabot Underground Space, converting it into a believable apartment. Bial's skillful direction was particularly evident in the poignant window scenes, which were complemented by lighting designer Blake Lawit's effective moonlight and sunrise. Hopefully the awkward opening night sound effects will soon be corrected.

The second act drags, but it definitely conveys the sense that we have been through a night of emotional catharsis.

Frankie and Johnny would probably not be a good choice for a first date, nor for a family outing on Junior Parents' Weekend. Likewise, if you can't handle touchy-feely discussion or explicit love scenes, this play is not for you. However, for intense emotions, some good laughs and a steamier scene than you'll find on any other Harvard stage--it's worth the trek to the Quad.