Broadway’s Prayer for the French Republic Rejoices with Heartbreak and Humor on Opening Night

This week, The Broadway Show celebrates the opening of Joshua Harmon’s family drama Prayer for the French Republic, a Manhattan Theatre Club production directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer. Now running at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, the cast features Betsy Aidem, Francis Benhamou, Ari Brand, Anthony Edwards, Ethan Haberfield, Richard Masur, Nael Nacer, Daniel Oreskes, Molly Ranson, Nancy Robinette and Aria Shahghasemi. 

Prayer for the French Republic follows multiple generations of a Jewish family grappling with the seemingly endless resurgences of antisemitism in France. Though the play mines dark themes, Harmon cuts them with biting humor. “Obviously any subject that has to do with persecution can be heavy,” says Benhamou, who makes her Broadway debut as a depressive yet highly opinionated young woman named Elodie. “But I think just like in life, in the darkest moments, we can find comedy in them. And we do that a lot.” Standing shoulder to shoulder with the playwright, Cromer similarly praises the wit that pierces through Harmon’s writing. “Humor is how people get through things,” Cromer says, adding, “It’s definitely how Jews get through things.”

“It’s all about the writing when you’re an actor,” comments Edwards, a Broadway veteran who returns to the stage as Patrick, a religion-averse member of the Jewish Salomon family. “And this writing is really special.” All levity aside, Edwards says, “Joshua Harmon has written something really beautiful.”