Prayer for the French Republic

Prayer for the French Republic is a 2022 dramatic stage play by American playwright Joshua Harmon. It centers on a Jewish family living in France as they struggle with their identity due to rising tensions from anti-Semitic attacks. ^[1][2][3][4] The play won the 2022 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play.

In 2016, an American student Molly decides to visit her family in France to find her roots and tries to connect with her distant cousin Marcelle. Marcelle's son is the victim of an anti-Semitic attack, causing Marcelle's husband Charles who immigrated from Algeria to decide to move to Israel. This earns the dismay of Marcelle's brother Patrick, as Marine Le Pen's rise in mainstream French politics continues. The play's second story explores how Marcelle and Patrick's great-grandparents suffered loss during the Holocaust in the 1940s.

The first production premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City on January 11, 2022, and extended for two weeks. The cast featured Betsy Aidem, Yair Ben-Dor, Francis Benhamou, Ari Brand, Pierre Epstein, Peyton Lusk, Molly Ranson, Nancy Robinette, Jeff Seymour, Kenneth Tigar, and Richard Topol.

The Broadway production began previews on December 19, 2023 and officially opened on January 9, 2024.^[5] It starred much of the off-Broadway cast alongside Anthony Edwards as Patrick. The Off-Broadway and Broadway productions were directed by David Cromer.^[6]

• Internet Broadway Database
• Internet Off-Broadway Database