Hanover Tavern is a space best suited for intimate theatre, and Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a remarkably intimate piece of theatre. In The Rep’s latest show at the historic stage in Hanover County, Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig shares the joyous, heart-warming story of his parents’ courtship during World War II. Jack Ludwig, an Army medical officer, and Louise Rebiner, an up-and-coming actress, deliver nearly all their dialogue in the form of recited letters to each other.
The audience watches, waits, and holds its breath as, via these letters, their partnership deepens under stress of careers, family drama, and global war.
In fact, our romantic leads spend almost the entirety of the play miles, states, even oceans away from each other. And yet, their epistolary chemistry is palpable in Virginia’s Rep’s tiny theater.
I learned why this was (at least in part) at intermission. The leads, Neal Gallini-Burdick (Jack) and Lydia Hundley (Louise), are a real-life married couple. Each exceedingly talented in their own right, Gallini-Burdick and Hundley’s on-stage partnership parallels the same strengths of Jack and Louise’s relationship, most notably, their ability to complement each other without depending on each other.
Whenever a play has such a small cast, a sub-par performance can automatically make for a sub-par play. But in the impeccably directed Dear Jack, Dear Louise – great work, Debra Clinton! – the two-person cast’s masterful performance holds a mirror to the audience. I felt welcomed into the narrative, invited to relate to Hundley’s independent, dedicated Louise and Gallini-Burdick’s rational, lovably awkward Jack.
How does such a personal story from the forties resonate in 2022? Maybe it’s the romantic in me speaking, but a good love story is timeless. Not because Jack is chivalrous, not because Louise is beautiful, and certainly not because they’re perfect together, but because in them I see the quirks, the faults, the strengths, and the grace of every couple that dares to keep love, and humor alive, even in the most challenging of times.
I laughed, I cried – I laughed more than I cried! – and I walked away thoroughly inspired by a real relationship portrayed with unmatched authenticity by the talented Lydia Hundley and Neal Gallini-Burdick. You don’t want to miss this one.
Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a unique theatrical experience suited for anyone looking to enjoy a heartwarming love story. The show explores some serious themes, such as war and courtship, but they are treated appropriately for audiences fourteen and up. Run time is one hour and forty-five minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
Dear Jack, Dear Louise is showing at Virginia Rep’s Hanover Tavern through April 16. For showtimes and tickets, go here.
For Virginia Rep’s safety protocol related to COVID-19, go here.
