'Prayer for the French Republic' to premiere on Broadway

Joshua Harmon's drama about a Jewish family premiered with Manhattan Theatre Club, which is producing the Broadway show, off Broadway in the winter of 2021.

Joshua Harmon's Prayer for the French Republic will premiere on Broadway this winter with Manhattan Theatre Club, two years after the company produced its Off-Broadway premiere. Performances begin at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on December 19 ahead of an opening night on January 9, 2024.

In Prayer for the French Republic, a Jewish couple in Paris awaits news of their missing relatives in 1944. Seventy years later, their descendants, also in Paris, wonder about their own safety in this epic connecting generations and shows the lasting effects of anti-Semitism through the years.

The show won the 2022 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. A four-star Prayer for the French Republic review on New York Theatre Guide reads, "In a dramatic feat, the play does not collapse under its own weight. Instead, Prayer for the French Republic is a breathtaking work that skillfully balances the humanity of its characters with sprawling history."

The play is by Joshua Harmon, the author of other acclaimed plays like Bad Jews and Significant Other. David Cromer, who staged the Off-Broadway production, returns to direct.

Casting and additional creative team have yet to be announced.

Photo credit: Prayer for the French Republic off Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)