theater

In the midst of the Great Depression, Hollywood embarked on a series of films that made no economic sense. Between 1931 and 1935 the big studios went Shakespeare-crazy and produced four films of the Bard's plays, partly because the wives and mistresses of the studio heads wanted to be in such films.

The acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig wrote his new romantic comedy, Shakespeare in Hollywood, about this phenomenon. "I love history," Ludwig (pictured) told City Paper last week. "I especially love the history of theater and the classical plays such as The Rivals and School for Scandal. This play allows me to combine my love for Shakespeare with the zaniness of Hollywood in the '30s, to write extravagant comedy in a historical setting."

Ludwig was born and raised in York, Pa., and graduated from Haverford College here. When he was 6 years old his parents took him to see Visit to a Small Planet in Manhattan and went backstage to meet the star, Cyril Ritchard. "I was immediately stagestruck and knew that I wanted to be in theater. But I needed to train for a day job, so I went to Harvard Law School. I thought I'd be a lawyer who wrote in my spare time." His Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo and Crazy for You became critical and box office hits and he became a full-time writer. Ludwig says he loves the architecture of Shakespeare's comedies: "I cry at the end of a beautifully made play."

Shakespeare in Hollywood, Wed., Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m., through Dec. 31, $32-$49, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824.