Jason Alexander on Stage: A Look Back at the Actor's Theatrical Roles

Tony Award winner Jason Alexander is making his Broadway directorial debut with The Cottage, which is now playing on Broadway, opening on July 24 at the Hayes Theater. While Alexander may be best known for his roles on screen, including Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, and more, he also has a longstanding history with the stage!

Learn more about Jason Alexander's previous Broadway and theatre roles, both onstage and off!

Merrily We Roll Along

Jason Alexander made his Broadway debut in 1981 in the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along, in the role of Joe Josephson.

Merrily We Roll Along features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, and is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

Merrily premiered on Broadway on November 16, 1981, in a production directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator Hal Prince. It closed after just 16 performances and 52 previews.

The cast also included Jim Walton as Franklin Shepard, Lonny Price as Charley Kringas, and Ann Morrison as Mary Flynn.

The Rink

Jason Alexander appeared next on Broadway in 1984 in The Rink, alongside Broadway greats  Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. Alexander played the roles of Lino, Lenny, Punk, and Uncle Fausto.

The musical opened on Broadway on February 9, 1984 at the Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for 204 performances and 29 previews. The production was directed by A. J. Antoon, with choreography by Graciela Daniele, set design by Peter Larkin, costume design by Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting design by Marc B. Weiss, sound design by Otts Munderloh, and musical direction by Paul Gemignani.

The cast also included Kim Hauser (Little Girl), Mel Johnson, Jr. (Buddy/Hiram/Mrs. Jackson/Charlie/Suitor/Junior Miller), Scott Holmes (Guy/Dino/Father Rocco/Debbie Duberman), Scott Ellis (Lucky/Sugar/Punk/Arnie/Suitor/Bobby Perillo/Danny/Additional singer), Frank Mastrocola (Tony/Tom/Punk/Suitor/Peter Reilly), Ronn Carroll (Ben/Dino's Father/Sister Philomena), and Rob Marshall.

Broadway Bound

Jason Alexander took the stage as Stanley in Broadway Bound in 1986. Broadway Bound is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, and serves as the last chapter in his Eugene trilogy, following Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues.

The play opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on December 4, 1986 and closed on September 25, 1988 after 756 performances. Produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Gene Saks, the cast also included Linda Lavin as Kate, Jonathan Silverman as Eugene,  Phyllis Newman as Blanche, John Randolph as Ben and Philip Sterling as Jack. Joan Rivers took over the role of Kate for the play's final months on Broadway.

Jerome Robbins' Broadway

Next, Jason Alexander served as the Narrator for Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, a role for which he took home a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Jerome Robbins' Broadway is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, The King and I, On the Town and West Side Story. Robbins won his fifth Tony Award for direction.

The show opened on Broadway on February 26, 1989 at the Imperial Theatre and closed on September 1, 1990 after 633 performances and 55 previews. It was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins with Grover Dale as co-director.

The cast also included Charlotte d'Amboise, Faith Prince, Debbie Shapiro, Susann Fletcher and Scott Wise.

Accomplice

The following year, in 1990, Jason Alexander took to the Broadway stage again in Accomplice, starring alongside Pamela Brüll, Michael McKean, and Natalia Nogulich.

Written by Tony award winner Rupert Holmes, Accomplice begins in Dartmoor, England at the stylish weekend retreat of the affluent Derek and Janet Taylor, and both adultery and murder are in the air. But we will soon learn that all is never as it seems in this electrifying game of trickery and misdirection. 

The production played at the  Richard Rodgers Theatre from April 26, 1990 - June 10, 1990.

Fish in the Dark

Following several years without a Broadway role, Jason Alexander returned to the stage in 2015 to star in Larry David's Fish in the Dark.

Previews for the play started on February 2, 2015 at the Cort Theatre, with the official opening on March 5. Norman Drexel was originally played by Larry David with Jason Alexander taking over the role on June 9, 2015. He starred alongside Glenne Headly as Brenda Drexel.

Fish in the Dark is a play by Larry David that focuses on fifteen characters as they deal with a death in the family. 

Non-Broadway Stage Roles

In 2003, Jason Alexander appeared opposite Martin Short in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks's The Producers. He also ppeared with Kelsey Grammer in the 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

In 2017, Alexander co-starred opposite Sherie Rene Scott in the world premiere of John Patrick Shanley's The Portuguese Kid at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Directorial Credits

Jason Alexander served as the artistic director of Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles, where he directed Sunday in the Park with George, and as well as the 2007 revival of Damn Yankees.