Penguin Rep Theatre To Present Ken Ludwig's DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE

Penguin Rep Theatre will present Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a new play by the Tony Award-winning author of Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy For You, directed by Stephen Nachamie, beginning Friday, July 26, in Stony Point, New York.

Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise follows the sold-out runs of The Sabbath Girl and Centennial Casting and will be performed through Sunday, August 18. The show is a co-production with Shadowland Stages of Ellenville, New York.

When two strangers – a military doctor in Oregon and an aspiring actress in New York – meet by letter during World War II, a true-life love story begins. Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig recounts his parents' courtship in his newest play signed, sealed and delivered straight from the heart.

The Washington Post called the play “an affecting love letter to unlikely romance” and “a poignant, funny tribute to the enduring power of human connection.” The Sullivan County Democrat dubbed it “the type of show that makes you believe in happy endings.”

Author Ken Ludwig may well be the most performed playwright of his generation. He has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London's West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged throughout the United States and around the world every night of the year. They have been produced in over 20 languages in more than 30 countries, and many have become standards of the American repertoire. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, was produced on Broadway and in London by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You was on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. Since its European premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2022, Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express has had hundreds of international productions. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo; Leading Ladies; Baskerville; Sherwood; Twentieth Century; A Fox on the Fairway; A Comedy of Tenors; The Game's Afoot; Shakespeare in Hollywood; and Moriarty. 

Director Nachamie returns to Penguin Rep where he directed Rounding Third, My Name is Asher Lev, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Buyer and Cellar, and Souvenir. On Broadway, he was associate director of She Loves Me.

The cast, under Mr. Nachamie's direction, includes Alexandra Fortin as Louise (Regional: Lend Me a Tenor, Importance of Being Earnest, Hedda Gabler, Steel Magnolias, The Diary of Anne Frank), and Michael Liebhauser as Jack (Regional: The Da Vinci Code, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Antony and Cleopatra).

Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise is designed by Christian Fleming (set and costumes), Keith A. Truax (lights), Jeffrey Knapp (sound), and Dana R. Weintraub (props). Ann Barkin is stage manager.

Performances are scheduled at Penguin's home facility, a repurposed 1880s barn in historic Stony Point (Rockland County), New York. “The converted barn, circa 1880, has never been more inviting” (The New York Times). Says Mr. Horn, “It's theatre so close you can feel it, with comfortable upholstered seats and no seat more than 30 feet from the stage.” The theatre is air-conditioned and handicap accessible, features assistive hearing devices, and has plenty of free parking.

Tickets

Performances will take place: Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. (August 1, August 8, August 15), Friday matinees at 2:00 p.m. (July 26, August 2), Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m. (July 26, August 9, August 16), Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (July 27, August 3, August 10, August 17), and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. (July 28, August 4, August 11, August 18).

There will be a reception following the official opening on Sunday, July 28; a tasting catered by The Filling Station of West Haverstraw before the early show on Saturday, August 3; and a discussion following the performance on Friday, August 9.

Tickets are priced at $49. Early ordering discount tickets are $42 if purchased by July 21.

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep's website at WWW.PENGUINREP.ORG or call 845-786-2873.  

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