PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC Reviews

Anecdotal, but at a read-through tonight of the community theatre production of 12 Angry Men that I'm a part of one of the actors (one of the more prominent theatre figures in the area) had just returned from a trip to New York. He saw Prayer For the French Republic and called it "dreadful".

EDIT: He also saw Appropriate and Night of the Iguana , giving a rave to the former and a pan to the latter.

Updated On: 1/10/24 at 09:37 PM

5 stars from New York Theatre Guide:

https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/prayer-for-the-french-republic-broadway-review

3 stars from.TimeOut:

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/prayer-for-the-french-republic-broadway-review

Deadline is positive:

https://deadline.com/2024/01/prayer-for-the-french-republic-broadway-review-1235696968/

Vulture is Mixed:

https://www.vulture.com/2024/01/theater-review-prayer-for-the-french-republic.html

NY Daily News is Positive:

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/09/broadway-review-prayer-for-the-french-republic-is-gripping-timely-tale-of-jewish-identity/

Observer is a Rave:

https://observer.com/2024/01/review-prayer-for-the-french-republic-is-one-of-broadways-best-new-plays/

TheatreMania is a Rave:

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-prayer-for-the-french-republic-and-a-one-way-ticket-to-israel_1725360/

Theaterly is Mixed-to-Positive

https://www.theatrely.com/post/prayer-for-the-french-republic-journeys-to-broadway-review

Variety is Mixed-to-Negative:

https://www.theatrely.com/post/prayer-for-the-french-republic-journeys-to-broadway-review

CitiTour is a Rave:

https://cititour.com/NYC_Theater/Prayer-for-the-French-Republic/1194

Updated On: 1/9/24 at 10:28 PM

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-PRAYER-FOR-THE-FRENCH-REPUBLIC-Opens-On-Broadway-20240109

BWW lists the NYT review as positive, but it's definitely mixed at minimum (maybe mixed to negative).

I also think the Variety review is pretty spot on, particularly in noting "Molly and Patrick representing a sort of naïve and ungenerous unawareness" and "it's in the character of Molly that the show falls flattest." Completely agree.

Updated On: 1/9/24 at 11:05 PM

blaxx said: "forfivemoreminutes said: "BWW lists the NYT review as positive, but it's definitely mixed."

It's definitely more negative than mixed."

He calls it "riveting," so he definitely didn't hate it. But, most of what he found important enough to write about was negative.

As per usual, I find Sara Holdren's writing to be impeccable. I was definitely more positive on the show than her. But I always find that her writing comes across like a warm hug. She puts such care and thoughtfulness into all of her analysis that always makes it a joy to read.

I agree that these reviews seem surface level. I found it a bit surprising that neither had much to say about the performances, especially Francis Benhamou and Betsy Aidem.

Having seen this play twice now, I think my take is that the themes are incredibly lofty and complex and compelling and topical and multi-layered, AND the play falls short in many ways of its full potential, as a piece of writing and also as a theatrical work. The ideas themselves are there, and in some spots executed beautifully and evocatively, and in other spots (in my opinion with Elodie and Molly in particular) executed rather clumsily. I'm still really glad I saw this show, and it gave me a lot to think about - I'd love to attend a talkback. I was actually sad that the second time I saw this I saw it alone and therefore had no one to discuss it with! It's a very important piece, and one I enjoyed and found meaningful and resonant. AND I think it could have been executed with a lighter, defter hand in some places. The ideas themselves are nuanced and complex, but the execution veers away from nuance in some places.

Broadway Flash said: "I was also mixed on this. It felt bizarre to rip on France for being unsafe especially when the ancestors literally stayed there during ww2. The brother made the most sense when he said the Middle East is the last place I’d go for safety. Them going off to Israel didn’t feel warranted especially when Daniel didn’t want to seem to go. I enjoyed watching it though."

I'm very curious if you're Jewish and/or if you follow news about Antisemitism. Not AT ALL to say that being Jewish or following news about Antisemitism are prerequisites to see, have opinions on, and discuss this show. But, as someone who fits both criteria, I want to push back a bit, hopefully to provide some more context for you.

In the aughts and especially the early-mid 2010s, France 100% felt uniquely Antisemitic and uniquely unsafe for Jews. The UK had Corbynism, but it never quite felt as threatening as French Antisemitism did and those of us in North America felt rather secure compared to our Western European counterparts. There were EXTREMELY high profile attacks including the murders of Sara Halimi and Mireille Knoll as well as an attack on a Kosher Supermarket, in which a gunmen took several hostages and murdered 4 Jews, in conjunction with the Charlie Hebdo shooting. More "casual" Antisemitic incidents surged to unprecedented levels (post-War) and LePenn and her National Front gained prominence as well. These widespread discussions of mass Aliyah (our word for moving to Israel) were and actually very prevalent in France, but felt very unique to France. In America, a lot of that has changed beginning with the Tree of Life and Chabad of Poway shootings (although I still don't think discussions of Aliyah are as prevalent as in France). Setting the modern portion of this play anywhere but France really would not have made sense before the last few years (and I'd assume this play has been in development for several). I think there is also a strong argument that French Jewish history is extremely unique and makes setting the play there particularly worthy. You have the combination of ancient Jewish populations and North African Sefardi refugees, the early emancipation and large-scale assimilation of the Jews is very unique, and it's one of the only countries where the Holocaust was perpetrated that still has a large Jewish population.

As far as the comment about not turning to the Middle East for safety, that is not at all the perception that Jews had prior to October 7th. For the past several decades, throughout terrorist attacks and wars and rockets, Israel has felt extremely safe. There could be breaks of a few years in there for the Intifadas. But even still, I don't know that the fundamental idea of Israel as a secure and safe place for Jews felt challenged. October 7th fundamentally changed that perception for Israelis and Jews worldwide. It was an unprecedented paradigm shift that hadn't occurred in Israel in a long long time. But, as this play was written and takes place well before 2023, it's right on point that Charles (and eventually the whole Benhamou clan) would think Israel is by far their safest bet.

I hope that was helpful for you or for anyone else and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has about French Antisemitism or Israel as a safe space for Jews.

Updated On: 1/10/24 at 01:34 AM

I have yet to see this, but having seen Harmon’s other plays, I am not shocked by these reviews at all. His willingness to tackle big ideas is not matched by his ability to see them through, and his heavy hand feels increasingly present throughout his works- as Feldman’s review notes.

Quick question (not review related, sorry).

Is this theater really not equipped with scanners for mobile tickets? I was surprised to see that my (still) not delivered tix came with the message that tix MUST be printed. How strange, I can't remember the last time I had to do that!

How odd!

Thanks for the info.

I loved every minute of it. LOVED