Jack And Louise
Two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig has written Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a funny and charming romantic comedy that won the Helen Hayes award in 2020 for Best New Play and opens this week at the Northlight Theatre in the suburbs of Chicago. Dear Jack, Dear Louise\xa0depicts the unlikely courtship of Ken's parents during World War II, and he discusses the origins of a play that is both right in his wheelhouse and a departure from the rest of his oeuvre; the joy of discovering subject matter that\u2019s both freeing and always surprising; the wonder of actors becoming new people who also have his parents\u2019 essence; whether it\u2019s easier to think of your parents as real people or as characters in a play; how he\u2019s writing a brand-new jukebox comic opera, using music by Rossini, called Tenor Overboard; a shout-out to the Chichester Theater Festival; and how Dear Jack, Dear Louise is ultimately a love letter to Ken\u2019s \u2013 any maybe all \u2013 parents. (Length 18:45) (PICTURED: Casey Hoekstra and Sarah Price as the title characters in the Northlight Theatre\xa0production of\xa0Dear Jack, Dear Louise, directed by Jessica Fisch. Photo by Greg Inda.