Set during World War II, The New Jewish Theatre’s production of Dear Jack, Dear Louise will hit the stage at the Wool Theatre from June 9 through June 26. Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig’s story centers on the true tale of how his parents fell in love in the midst of war.
Through letter correspondence, Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, meets Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City. The pair falls in love, but as expected, there are trials and tribulations that come along with the long-distance courtship in a country that is heavily defined by the war.
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Artistic director and producer Edward Coffield felt as though the body of work was well-suited for the New Jewish Theatre’s audience, and seized the opportunity to make the script come to life.
“I read it and fell in love with it,” Coffield says. “I thought it was the perfect play for our audience for a lot of reasons. A lot of our audience would have certainly lived through World War II, and a lot of them served in the military, so I think there’s a lot of stuff that’s identifiable. In many ways, this is just a good, old-fashioned love story. I think because it is set during the war, it feels very nostalgic.”
Directing for the first time at the New Jewish Theatre is Moonstone Theatre Company’s Sharon Hunter, who looks forward to portraying the complex love story of Jack and Louise.
“It’s a beautiful story about people falling in love with this backdrop of World War II, and how difficult of a situation that was,” Hunter says. “You’re also dealing with two souls that are finding each other during a really perilous time of heroism and danger, but also at the same time, people holding on to hope, and finding each other.”
Audiences will be able to see both perspectives of the couple clearly, with the performance space split to frame Jack on one and Louise on the other, bringing their written correspondence to life for the stage.
“The stage is split, so on one side you’ll see her and the other side you’ll see him in the military,” Hunter says. “They will be sort of corresponding to each other with their letters, but it will be in a way that they will be acting, not that they’re just sitting there reading, but that their letters will come to life.”
The casting of the production plays a crucial role in how the story unfolds. After weighing options, Coffield believed it to be important to portray youth, furthering the nostalgic undertones of the play.
“We could’ve had two older actors and really treated it as a memory piece, but I felt really strongly that it’s really about the urgency of youth,” Coffield says. “So, we saw a bunch of young actors that I had never seen, which is always very exciting, and we got a great cast.”
NJT veteran Ryan Lawson Maeske stars as Jack, and Molly Burris will make her NJT debut as Louise. Coffield encourages audiences to come see the pair play out this wartime love story firsthand.
“I think it’s a great time to fall in love at the New Jewish Theater,” Coffield says. “I think the play sort of forces you to do that. You can’t help but feel kind of all googly, it’s a warm, syrupy play.”
Dear Jack, Dear Louise runs June 9–26 at the Wool Theatre at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center. For tickets, visit jccstl.com.
