Alexander Michael Brightman is an American stage actor, best known for originating the role of Dewey Finn in School of Rock and the title role in Beetlejuice on Broadway, both of which earned him Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Musical.
Brightman first worked on Broadway in 2008, as an understudy in 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. His next Broadway role was 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. In 2015, Brightman joined the newest musical of Andrew Lloyd Webber's, 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. For this performance, Brightman received a nomination for the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Brightman played his final performance as Dewey on November 6, 2016 and returned to reprise the role for a limited run inApril 2017. He returned to Broadway in 2019 to play the title role in Beetlejuice. He was again nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the 73rd Tony Awards ceremony.
Other work
Brightman is a member of the comedy group, The 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, with Gasparini, for which Brightman co-wrote the lyrics. Brightman made an appearance on Impractical Jokers during Brian "Q" Quinn's musical punishment that's based on the latter's real-life experience as a firefighter. In October 2019, it was announced that Brightman will be joining the cast of the Billy Crystal helmed comedy filmHere Today.
Personal life
Alex Brightman married casting director, Jenny Ravitz on May 21, 2018 at a ceremony in Brooklyn. Jenny Ravitz was a casting director for the NBC series Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Fire. She worked as a casting director for Mason Street Warehouse, a non-profit theatre in Saugatuck, Michigan, and has cast for various films, pilots, plays, and musicals.
Stage credits
Brightman also reprised this role for a limited run in April 2017.
