Brandon Tyler made a choice. The suburban Louisville native graduated from North Kentucky University with a degree in theater and knew he had to move somewhere to make a career in acting. “I knew I didn’t want to go to New York or L.A.,” Tyler says by telephone. “They are too expensive and c rowded, not to mention competitive. “Without ever having been there, I chose Philadelphia.” So far, he says, he is happy with his choice. Tyler has worked regularly in Connecticut and appeared in other regions, but since arriving in Philadelphia in 2016, he’s been able to sustain a satisfying career and lifestyle here. Currently, he is appearing in playwright Ken Ludwig’s look at his parents’ courtship in “Dear Jack, Dear Louise,” at Media’s Hedgerow Theatre through March 1. The show follows the title characters’ romance as it buds through a series of letters they exchange back and forth while the reserved Jack is in Oregon, the Pacific, or Normandy Beach as an Army doctor during World War II while Louise is an effusive actress trying to catch a break on Broadway. Asked if Ludwig’s show is like “Love Letters,” in which two actors sit at podiums and read letters, Tyler says no. “‘Dear Jack, Dear Louise’ has an epistolary format like ‘Love Letters,’ but we — he and co-star Max Lynch — have the letters memorized. We are on our separate sets, but we react to what were hearing and respond to what we hear in each letter.” Tyler points out that Ludwig maintains his typical comic style by having Jack or Louise answer something written with a rejoinder that acts as a comeback line that has the same humorous effect as it might if they were talking directly to each other. Comedy comes from Louise meeting Jack’s family from Coatesville even though she and Jack have never seen each other in person. They’ve only been penpals. Jack is worried when he realizes Louise will be facing his 11 aunts and sneaky sister without him being there as a buffer. The play has serious moments as Jack describes the men even younger than he who come through the Oregon base where’s stationed men who are severely wounded and who often require amputation and skin grafts. “For me, the hardest parts of the script are the scenes that deal with the war. Jack realizes, and I have to convey, the danger and urgency of the war and the activity at both the hospital where Jack is stationed and his time on ships and living in a tent at field hospitals while working 11 hours or more to keep his fellow soldiers alive. “So much comes clear to him when he is shipped out and doesn’t go to the Pacific but to Europe, specifically Normandy, where he is part of the largest land battle in history. “Playing the range of emotions Jack feels and describing what he sees has been a challenge, but a good one. “I’ve prepared by reading a lot about at the war. I wanted to get a feeling of what the world was like at that time. I was definitely inspired by reading ‘Band of Brothers.’ (Stephen Ambrose’s 1992 that was made into an acclaimed 2001 miniseries produced by Tom Hanks.) “Homework helps. It gives a background that gives context to the letters, especially when it comes to Jack’s responsibility and inability to get home to meet Louise or Louise talking about how the theater helped people at home cope with the war and her experience at canteens where she entertains next to stars.” Tyler says he has been in plays set in various periods, including the 1940s. He played the title role in a New London, Conn. production of “Macbeth” set in ’40s Italy. Classics in general, and Shakespeare in particular have been a major part of Tyler’s career and have accounted for several of his favorite role, the first of which was Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet.” “It might sound funny, but I decided try acting because I had such severe stage fright as a kid. “Teachers would call on me, and I would start shaking. My eyes would water. That was just in class. I could never make a speech or talk to a group of people. “I wanted to get over that kind of reaction, and I thought one good way might to face my fear in the most direct way. So I auditioned for a school play and got the role of Tybalt.” Shakespeare in the first go? And Tybalt, a meaty and challenging part? “Yes!” Tyler says. “I began to see acting as a craft. I did everything the director said. I made friends forthe first time. It all bolstered my confidence. I went from being scared to wanting to go on stage. “Twenty-five years later, I’m still acting and enjoying it, especially playing Jack. He’s a sizable character. He has shades you don’t normally find in a character. It’s exciting to play him and to share his beautiful story.” Excellent performances, shows currently Brandon Tyler is one of several actors I’ve interviewed in recent weeks, and I feel compelled to say how wonderful it was to see all of them in the plays discussed. I’d seen “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” before. Tyler and Max Lynch, directed by Peter Reynolds, make the piece varied, warm, and interesting, much more than in the previous production. Susan McKey, who is M’Lynn in “Steel Magnolias” at People’s Light, has some amazing and quiet scenes, in which you see M’Lynn internalizing feelings she can’t express out loud so as not to upset others and let down her veneer of stoic bravery. Susan McKey (COURTESY OF HEDGEROW THEATRE) McKey, Marcia Saunders, Teri Lamm, Janis Dardaris, Claire Inie-Richards and Brynn Gauthier are an amazingly tight and thrilling ensemble. They must be seen. Even if it’s just to see how much McKey and Inie-Richards look alike playing mother and daughter. Reading native Danny Gardner lights up the Academy of Music stage in the touring company of “Beauty and the Beast.” And not only because he plays Lumiere and flashes torches from his wrists. The entire company is topnotch. “Beauty and the Beast” shows no signs of being 32 years old. It is as fresh as ever, and Gardner helps it be so. Kudos also to Philadelphia Theatre Company co-artistic director Tyler Dombrowski for his terse, on-point precis of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” a 90-minute adaptation simply called “Caesar.” It neatly brings up all the themes of the plays and shows its currency. Bunny, Gaga, Martin put on good show After a rocky 90 seconds, Bad Bunny put on the best Super Bowl halftime performance I’ve seen in ages. Quelle surprise! Wait, wait, wait … ¡Qué sorpresa! I’ve come to expect an unorganized mishmash from Super Bowl entertainment, parades through stadiums, gratuitous pyrotechnics, and routines that were too random or extravagantly designed to work on television, which needs sharper focus. Bad Bunny looked to be living down to my expectations. When he began his stint, the first three words in my head were “Same old crap!” Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform during halftime of NFL Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The same old bringing the camera too close. The same old jumping all over the place, so the camera position hardly matters. The same old troupe of ugly-clad dancers barely moving, as if they’re trying to maintain balance in a subway car. Ugh! Then came the miracle. In the shape of a consistent miracle: Lady Gaga. All of a sudden, the camera was perfectly placed, center and with some distance between the performer and the TV screen. More than that, and much more important, Lady Gaga, in a flattering blue dress, was demonstrating what a genuine star does. She showed the class and savvy of the best club, variety show, and movie singers of the pre-rock era. Her singing was excellent, her stage presence beyond excellent. She had style and ‘zazz that eluded Bad Bunny (so far) and most of their halftime predecessors in this century. All of a sudden, I was watching a performance I wanted to see. Ricky Martin was part of the revelation, and guess what? It changed the whole whole tone and fabric of Bad Bunny’s act. He came on with Lady Gaga, and Martin had the discipline, poise and excitement of a theatrical song-and-dance person. Ricky Martin performs during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Feb. 08 in Santa Clara, California. (Ronald Martinez - Getty Images) He retained it throughout an act that included some stunts, witty visual effects (e.g. when Bad Bunny falls through the roof of a house), and a sustained rhythm and scope that turned a dud with dormant “dancers” into a spectacular production number worthy of a movie musical from the 1950s. Tell the people who cry over the entire performance being in Spanish to callarse la boca (Shut Up!). Bad Bunny’s tribute to Puerto Rico and Latin America was buoying and breathtaking. The camera followed him marvelously. A crew that seemed meant only for a football game showed they knew how to bring a live act to TV. Parades did not seem random. Bad Bunny was always in proper focus and dancing in an invigorated, invigorating manner, with the style and savvy Lady Gaga introduced. The halftime show made me want to spend the rest of the evening watching Bad Bunny videos and listening to his music. I haven’t done that yet, but the intention has not faded. Kiss, kiss, Lady Gaga. Bravo Bad Bunny! Coffee, tea, yippee! Channel 3 health reporter Stephanie Stahl made my day on a recent newscast when she reported about a study that says moderate drinking of coffee or tea can lower the risk of experiencing dementia by 18 percent. The study found that people who drank one to three cups of coffee per day or one to two cups of tea developed dementia at a lower rate, if at all. If that’s true, my worry about inheriting a condition that changed my father into a different person the last few years of his life may be relatively needless. Stahl and a doctor she interviewed cautioned the study comes with several caveats. The doctor did not recommend beginning to drink coffee or tea if it’s not already your custom, especially if one copes with arrhythmia, reflux or other chronic maladies. Both also said the study is not conclusive. Its tests showed the 18 benefits of consuming coffee or tea, but more testing and examination would be required for the study’s information to be considered a hardscientific fact. Meanwhile, I’m elated. Although Stahl’s report mentions how many cups of coffee or tea matter, for years I’ve drunk only coffee, tea or water. I’ve often credited some of my healthier traits to being a lifetime tea drinker who has one cup of coffee most mornings. The rub is I drink more like six to 10 cups of tea a day. At home, I brew my own from leaves. Ah, well, the idea that any caffeine consumption can be beneficial is encouraging. Thanks, Stephanie. Tribute to Flyers, youth hockey That man of 1,000 jokes and voices, Joe Conklin, has been varying his game for years, especially by moving from solely comedy to musical evenings with the City Rhythm Orchestra. On Feb. 21, at the Broadway Theatre in Pitman, N.J., Conklin assembles a crew of sports figures, sports commentators, and fellow singer Lauren Hart to tell the story of Philadelphia sports through music and comedy. Joe Conklin (COURTESY PHOTO) The focus at the Broadway is a tribute to the Flyers in association with Ed Snider Youth Hockey. The Broad Street bully of them all, Dave Schultz, will sing his song, “Penalty Box.” Joe and Jim Watson and Scott Hartnell represent the players while Hall of Fame hockey writer Al Morganti and NBC Sports Philadelphia fixture Michael Barkann represent the media. Lauren Hart has a dual role. Not only is she one the area’s top vocalists, but she has been around the Flyers her entire life. Her father, Gene Hart, announced Flyers games for more than half of the team’s existence. ...read more read less