Alex Brightman

Alex Brightman
Born Alexander Michael Brightman[1]
(1987-02-05) February 5, 1987
Santa Clara, California
Occupation Actor, musician, writer
Years active 2008–present
Known for Originating the role of Dewey Finn in School of Rock on Broadway.

Alexander Michael "Alex" Brightman (born February 5, 1987) is an American stage actor, best known for originating the role of Dewey Finn in School of Rock on Broadway.[2]

Early life

Brightman grew up in Saratoga, California. His father founded Apple's Worldwide Disabilities Solutions Group, and his mother worked at a dialysis clinic.[3]

Career

Broadway

Brightman first worked on Broadway in 2008, as an understudy in the ill-fated production of Glory Days, which ended after its first non-preview performance. Brightman never performed in the show. Thereafter, Brightman was cast as the munchkin Boq and made his Broadway debut in Wicked. He stayed with the show for two years. He obtained his next Broadway role in 2013 in Big Fish as an ensemble member and an understudy for a main role. Later in 2013, Brightman was cast as Michael Wormwood in Matilda the Musical.[4]

In 2015, Brightman joined the newest musical endeavor of Andrew Lloyd Webber', School of Rock, adapted from the 2003 film of the same name. Initially, Brightman played various roles that were meant to be played by child actors but were performed by adults for the workshops. Brightman was cast in the starring role of Dewey, first, in the show's concert performances, and then, in his first starring role, in the Broadway production. Brightman performed as Dewey Finn at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.[5] For this performance, Brightman received a nomination for the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[6] Brightman played his final performance as Dewey on November 6, 2016 and returned to reprise the role for a limited run in April 2017.[7]

Other Work

Brightman is a member of the comedy group, The (M)orons, along with fellow Broadway actors/writers, Andrew Kober, F. Michael Haynie, and Drew Gasparini. Brightman is currently developing two new musicals entitled The Whipping Boy and It's Kind of a Funny Story (based on the novel of the same name), with Gasparini, for which Brightman co-wrote the lyrics.

Stage credits

Year Production Role Category Location
2008 Glory Days u/s Will; u/s Jack Broadway Circle in the Square Theatre
2008–10 Wicked Boq Gershwin Theatre
2013 Big Fish Zacky Price, Ensemble; u/s Will Bloom Neil Simon Theatre
2013 Matilda the Musical Michael Wormwood Shubert Theatre
2015–16a School of Rock Dewey Finn Winter Garden Theatre
2017 Assassins Giuseppe Zangara Off-Broadway New York City Center
  1. ^ Brightman also reprised this role for a limited run in April 2017.

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2016 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Fred and Adele Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer School of Rock Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated
Tony Award Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical Nominated
Favorite Funny Performance Nominated
Favorite Onstage Pair (with Sierra Boggess) Nominated
Favorite Breakthrough Performance Nominated

References

  1. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VL2C-DVN
  2. ↑ "Alex Brightman | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  3. ↑ "Alex Brightman Rides a ‘School of Rock’ Wave". The New York Times. 4 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (2016-01-03). "Alex Brightman Rides a ‘School of Rock’ Wave". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  5. ↑ Rosky, Nicole. "BWW Interview: He's Ready to Rock! Meet Broadway's New Leading Man, SCHOOL OF ROCK's Alex Brightman". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  6. ↑ Coverage, BWW Special. "2016 Tony Awards Nominations - HAMILTON Breaks Record with 16! And the Nominees Are...". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Alex Brightman Returns to Broadway’s School of Rock". Playbill. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.