by Rita Charleston

Both widowed in their 70s, Irving and Peg are introduced to each other by the questionnaires they fill out on an online dating service. And we, in turn, are introduced to them thanks to the award-winning play written by Michelle Kholos Brooks and Kelly Younger, “Kalamazoo,” which continues at Act II Playhouse in Ambler through Aug. 4. Directed by Mary Carpenter, the play stars Jack Hoffman as Irving, a proud and quirky Jewish man, and Carla Belver as Peg, a devout Catholic widow with five daughters.

Hoffman, who was born in Chester and schooled there, and who now lives in Havertown, said he's wanted to be an actor for as long as he can remember.

“Actually, this is all I ever wanted to do since Moby Dick was a guppy,” he laughed.

So in the 8th grade at an allboys Catholic high school, Hoffman started performing in various shows, first in musicals, then in straight plays and finally graduating to West Chester University as a communications major.

“That's where I really learned to hone my acting skills. Then, one day a teacher of mine decided to do summer stock, and so began a summer doing many well-known and interesting shows. We would go every two weeks doing a different show every night at the college.”

It was a wonderful experience, Hoffman said, although he never did graduate.

“That's because just a few credits shy of graduation I met Kate, and we fell in love. We got married, had a child and started out on our life together. My thinking by that time was that I was already an actor, so I no longer needed college.”

Right or wrong, Hoffman has managed to carve our a pretty good living for himself. Over the years he has appeared in more than 20 movies, several television shows and hundreds of stage productions, all as a union performer. In fact, for more than two decades, Hoffman has been a working member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Actors Equity. Television credits include “Hack” and “Sex in the City.” Stage credits include appearances at local theaters including “King Lear,” “Sex and Drugs” and “Rock and Roll,” among others. On screen, Hoffman has been seen in “Another Happy Day,” “The Runaway Bride,” “The Village” and more.

Today, at almost 64, Hoffman said he loves being on stage, “although film and TV work pays much better. So when I'm not doing stage work, I work as a standardized patient and do some catering, just to help pay the bills. But for me, live theatre is where it's at.”

Which brings him to his current project. Hoffman explains, “Peg's only wish in life is to go to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a bird sanctuary, and that's the only reference, and that's why it's called 'Kalamazoo.' It's an absolutely charming and sweet play. You know, we're so youth-oriented in our society today that we don't often get to see old people in love that much anymore. But here we do.”

A cancer survivor, Hoffman has been away from legitimate, equity stage work for about 10 years. So happy to be back, he describes this play as “two people on stage for well over an hour giving a performance that's non-stop. That can be difficult. But it's like anything else. It's a muscle that you have to re-develop, which is what I've been doing ever since I was cast.

“And it's a comedy. There's an expression in this business that says dying is easy, but comedy is hard. Well, this is razor-sharp comedy, and you have to continue to be in tune with your partner throughout the entire performance.”

But whatever the challenges, Hoffman insists, “there's nothing like being on stage, listening to the audience laughing out loud. Comedy, especially, needs an audience, and so far we've had great ones.”

Act II is located at 56 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler. For tickets, call 215-654-0200.