by Frank Burd

Tony Braithwaite is waiting. He’s not sure for how long or exactly what will happen when the wait is over. As the artistic director of Act II Playhouse in Ambler, he’s had to shut down the theater with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two,” which was to be the next production, will be put on hold indefinitely since the  2020-2021 season has already been announced.

Like almost everyone else, his own life is on hold, though he does manage to drive to the grocery store as needed while he spends his sequestered time with his 87-year-old father.

Tony has performed at numerous theaters in the Philadelphia area, has written biting political satire for years and has been director of dramatics at St. Joseph's Prep for more than 20 years. He has received countless accolades, such as “He may be Philadelphia's funniest man ever” (Philadelphia City Paper), “The super comic gem of our area” (Montgomery Newspapers) and “a comedy superstar” (KYW News Radio).

Tony hadn’t considered a theatrical profession when he was attending St. Matthias Elementary School in Bala Cynwyd and St. Joseph’s Prep. He didn’t pursue any specific career path, figuring he’d follow in the footsteps of the Jesuits and possibly become a priest. At Georgetown University, he majored in theology.

But when Tony was a child, his parents took him to see plays in New York and Philadelphia. “I wasn’t athletic, like most of the boys, but did enjoy going to shows.” He was intrigued when the opportunity to be in a play came, and he tried out and got the part. “In my sophomore year at St. Joe’s, I played Henry Higgins in ‘My Fair Lady.’” He was smitten. For the next four years, he would continue to act in both high school and college and even began doing stand-up comedy. “I had a great time, though was not really training for anything.”

In his junior year at Georgetown, while portraying Julius Caesar in “Antony and Cleopatra,” he was approached by the head of The Walt Disney Company, Michael Eisner, who was impressed with his performance and told him to see Eisner in Los Angeles after graduation. It was the first time he’d actually thought about a career, and he figured he’d have it made on the West Coast. Eisner would take care of him.

“I was miserable in L.A., though. I expected some sort of fantasy life. They got me an agent. I had plenty of near-misses for parts. I even auditioned for 'Friends' and was called back, but Matthew Perry got the role. Within a year, I was home.”

St. Joe’s had an opening to teach religion to freshmen along with moderating the speech and debate club. He jumped at it. The next year, the theater director’s job became available . He got it. His directorial debut was  “Arsenic and Old Lace”.

During those years, he got acting roles after school in and around the city. Arden Theatre gave him a start, as he played a small role in “Death of a Salesman.” As professional theater usually rehearses for three solid weeks (unlike community theaters, which rehearse in the evenings), he made the choice to stop teaching and go at it full-time. He did more productions with Arden and found other roles at Montgomery Theater, 1812 Productions and Act II Playhouse, earning his Equity card in 2000.

“It was an interesting journey,” he said. “In some theaters, actors came to the first rehearsal with all their lines memorized. I couldn’t do that. I needed to relate to the other characters and to the set itself. My favorite is when there is comedy and drama in the same play … It’s so real, so communal, and each and every performance is unique.”

Tony was a journeyman actor for many years while still directing a production each fall and spring at St. Joe’s. Then, in 2012 he took over at Act II from Bud Martin, who moved to the Delaware Theater Company. “I’d been in so many of their shows, they knew me and I knew them. It was an easy transition.”

As artistic director, Tony selects the plays, the directors, puts together the season and usually directs one or two plays himself. He tries to select plays that lend themselves to that intimate space, only 132 seats and 9 rows. He can’t make final plans for the next season until more information about the virus is clear. “I’m working on all sorts of scenarios. I figure we can possibly fit 35 people in the house at 6 feet apart,” he said jokingly.

Tony also said people would be surprised to learn that he is more of an introvert than the outgoing characters he portrays on stage. Quoting Henry Higgins in the song “I’m an Ordinary Man,” he said, “I’m a quiet living man who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room.”

For more information: act2.org and/or tonybraithwaite.com