Andrew Keenan Bolger and Kate Wetherhead have done a wonderful job of using their own experiences as Musical Theater Nerds to get inside the heads of fictional Jack and Louisa. Jack's voice is changing, so his promising Broadway career grinds to an abrupt and hurtful halt, and the family moves to Cleveland to accommodate his father's new job. Louisa has just returned from an inspiring time at theater camp, and knows more minutiae about Broadway musicals than most theater critics. The two adolescents end up as neighbors in McMansions that all look alike. They discover their mutual love for theater, but there are complications.
Written in the alternating voices of Jack and Louisa, the authors capture the angst, the insecurity, the brashness of young artists and of young love/friendship. Bullying raises its ugly head in the arc of this story, as do petty jealousies, miscommunications and freaking out over tempests in a teapot - in other words, the life of a typical teen.
"Jack & Louisa" should be required reading for everyone who goes to theater camp, and should come as a free gift for everyone who registers for next winter's second annual Broadwaycon!
Enjoy!
Al
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