A budding romance between a USO actress and a soldier is interrupted by World War II and the pair’s wartime letters are all that connect them with dreams of a reunion in Robert Schenkkan’s play “Bob and Jean: A Love Story.”
Arizona Theatre Company is presenting the play’s world premiere March 23-April 12 at the Temple of Music and Art.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Schenkkan based the play on letters between his parents, Bob and Jean. Schenkkan wrote the play using his parents’ letters verbatim, which adds a poetic quality to the language.
Based on the ACT blog, “Their story unfolds at the start of World War II, a conflict that spanned continents, with young men and women like Bob and Jean answering the call to serve. In the Pacific, the U.S. Navy and Marines fought against Japan, while in Europe, Allied forces battled Nazi Germany.” neither Bob or Jean was looking for love when it found them at the worst possible time.
Bob Schenkkan and Jean McKenzie were college friends who were reunited in New York City in 1941. Lightning struck and the pair started a relationship just as Bob was shipping off to the Pacific as a bomb disposal officer. Jean, meanwhile, was touring the country with the USO.
ATC Artistic Director Matt August, who is directing the ATC production, was drawn to the script when Schenkkan’s agent sent it to him.
“I saw its enormous potential as a beautiful production and something our audience will love,” August said. “It’s a romance! And we need some love in our lives right now.”
August said the play takes a unique theatrical approach. The story is narrated by the couple’s son, who finds their letters “and imagines how the courtship unfolded,” August said.
“So it’s got a lot of theatre magic in it,” he said.
The production not only explores love but also transformation.
“This is the real story of two young adults during World War II, one serving in the Navy and the other in the USO,” August said. “Their journeys take them across the Pacific and the country, shaping them into better versions of themselves before bringing them back together.”
Jake Bentley Young, who plays Bob, describes the production as more than just a historical drama.
“It’s charming and funny, but also dense and poetic,” Young said.
For Mary Mattison, who plays Jean, the biggest challenge has been delivering dialogue never meant to be spoken aloud.
“It’s unlike any other experience I’ve had—almost like learning Shakespeare,” Mattison said. “But that also makes it a beautiful time capsule, a glimpse into what life was like for young lovers during World War II.”
Young and Mattison, both new to the Arizona Theatre Company, say the complex material has even led to meaningful discussions outside of rehearsals.
“Bob & Jean: A Love Story” opens Sunday and runs through April 12 at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Sunday’s 7 p.m. performance is one of five previews before the opening night on Friday, March 28. For showtimes and tickets ($33-$98), visit atc.org or call 833-282-7328.
If You Go
What: “Bob & Jean: A Love Story”
Written by: Robert Schenkkan
Directed by: Matt August
Presented by: Arizona Theatre Company
Run time: Two hours
When: Various times March 23-April 12
Where: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.
Tickets: $33-$98 at atc.org or by calling 833-282-7328
