Alex Brightman

Alexander Michael Brightman (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his work in musical theatre, specifically as Dewey Finn in the musical adaptation of School of Rock and the title character in Beetlejuice the Musical. Both roles earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

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. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-male Jesuit high school in San Jose, California, and graduated in 2005.^[1]

Career[]

Broadway[]

Brightman first worked on Broadway in 2008, as an ensemble member and understudy in Glory Days, which closed after only one 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 2012 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.^[2]

In 2014, Brightman joined Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, 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.^[3] For this performance, Brightman received a nomination for the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.^[4] Brightman played his final performance as Dewey on November 5, 2016 and returned to reprise the role for a limited run in April 2017.^[5] He returned to Broadway in 2019 to play the title role in Beetlejuice (based on the film of the same name). He was again nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the 71st Tony Awards ceremony.

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. 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 film Here Today.^[6]

Personal life[]

Brightman married casting director, Jenny Ravitz on May 19, 2017 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.^[7]

Stage credits[]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

External links[]

• Alex Brightman at IMDb
• Alex Brightman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alex Brightman at Internet Off-Broadway Database