In sharing the sweet and humorous story of how his parents met and fell in love through letters during World War II, playwright Ken Ludwig touches the heart and may trigger memories for many audience members about the days when the best way to express deep thoughts and feelings was through the mail.
“Dear Jack, Dear Louise,” now playing in a delightful and engaging production directed by Kristin Clippard at Florida Studio Theatre, is a love letter to Ludwig’s parents. They were connected by their own parents and corresponded from 1942 to 1945 while Jacob S. Ludwig was serving as a U.S. Army doctor and Louise Rabiner was pursuing a career as a Broadway actress, singer and dancer.
When they first write, he is stationed in Medford, Oregon, but the years take him to Texas for military drills before he is shipped off to treat the wounded on the front lines in Europe.
Jordan Sobel plays Jack opposite Maggie Lou Rader as Louise, and they mostly act or read out their letters. On a divided set by designer sisters Isabel A. and Moirah Curley-Clay connected by strings of letters, Jack speaks from his wood-framed barrack, while Louise spends her time in a comfy if crowded room in her Brooklyn apartment.
Sobel’s Jack is somewhat shy and awkward while he struggles to feel comfortable sharing details about his life, his dreams and his ambitions. Rader’s more lively Louise encourages him, and over time we see his walls begin to fall allowing them to start caring deeply for one another. They’ve never met, but begin to feel like they truly know one another.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
While he is doing his duty as a doctor, she relates stories about failed auditions and short-lived jobs. Louise also gets to meet his parents and extended family, and they treat as if she’s already one of them.
We know because of the playwright’s existence that they eventually got together, but Ludwig throws in a few obstacles and military realities that make us question if that’s possible.
The first act is cute, but the story becomes more compelling after the intermission, as the horrors of war become all too real. In one extended sequence of letter exchanges, Jack is writing to Louise while dodging bullets and explosions. He can’t share details, but you can see the worry on her face as if she can tell by what he’s not saying.
The two actors, who make a delightful pair, never get to look at each other, but their reactions to the letters they’re reading or writing are genuine. You see the worry on Jack’s face when he writes a joke followed by a long-delayed response. He fears he offended her. One look at Louise makes you know she’s not easily offended. And while he faces danger, he wants to hear the seemingly frivolous details of her performing adventures.
Clippard, who has staged several strong productions in Sarasota in the last year, keeps it all open and honest. We feel like we’re in their heads as Jack and Louise get to know one another.
Watching the play, I kept thinking back to my younger days before texts and computers – when long-distance phone calls were expensive – and my parents expected me to write to them from summer camp or college. I don’t remember what I wrote, but those letters were probably a form of journaling.
Arts Newsletter:Sign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday
Tourist tax funds:Sarasota County Commission rejects arts funding for three popular organizations
This may not bother others, but there were some anachronistic theatrical references. Early on, Louise mentions seeing “Oklahoma!” even though it didn’t open until 1943, and she later mentions the film version of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which didn’t come out until 1944.
But these are quibbles that most people won’t think about while watching what is a beautifully delivered, human and romantic story about true love, patience and perseverance.
‘Dear Jack, Dear Louise’
By Ken Ludwig. Directed by Kristin Clippard. Reviewed July 10, Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Through Aug. 11. $25-$46. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.
