Tony Nominated Actor Discusses his Title Role in Beetlejuice

In honor of the 2019 Tony® Awards, we’re celebrating with Broadway Week on One-on-One. Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with 2019 Tony®️ nominated actor, Alex Brightman, who is "killing it" playing the title role in the Broadway hit, Beetlejuice.

6/3/19 #2224

Excerpt:

"Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! It's showtime! [music playing] Welcome to a show about death![laughter] He's back by popular demand. Alex Brightman. Alright! He's in Beetlejuice, Winter Garden Theatre, right here in the heart of Manhattan on Broadway? Yes. It is nominated... Beetlejuice nominated for eight...? Eight Tony Awards. And you are nominated as Best Actor? Yes. How cool is that? It's cool. It's my second time being nominated, which feels like it's... it's like... you feel like you want to go buy all the lottery tickets because it doesn't... that's like lightning, right? I mean it doesn't happen that often. And tell folks... because actually, the last time you were nominated? The last time I was here talking to you, I was nominated for School of Rock on Broadway. I think it's about me. Yeah. I think you're my... [laughter] ...good luck charm! I gotta rub your head! I love it! Yeah. I love it! So how about this? Such different roles? Yes. You play the Michael Keaton role? I do. Set it up. Yeah. I play a millennia old demon from Hell who has never been alive, and he is... just wants to be seen. He's a guy that has never, literally, been seen by anybody. And he's trying to... in our show, in fact, being... try to be this sort of relatable source to the audience, and tries to, you know, have this plan come forth to become alive. Right. So that he can leave this house once and for all and do the thing he's seen people do for a millennia, which is live. Hmm. And feel feelings. You know, it's so interesting I remember asking you last time when you were here, you played the Jack Black role? Yes. Right? From the iconic film School of Rock? Yeah. And now this role? Yeah. I only leap into roles that are impossible to try... What's the deal? ...and do. Literally impossible? Yeah. And then knock it out of the park? That's very nice. Thank you. So where does your...? This is where I... trust me, there's a question here. Okay. The confidence you have to say, "I don't care who played that role!" Sure. "I'm gonna play it my way." Where does that come from? Well, I do care who played that role. However... I shouldn't have assumed. My bad. No. That's fine. It's... a good adaptation will allow you to recreate something that already exists. So it's a testament to the script. First of all. And everybody around it. But then it's sort of that "yes, and..." quality that I've learned forever ago when I started doing improv, which is just to just accept what's there, create..."