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81-515: The seder was hosted by Jason Alexander on the fourth night of Passover . The Saturday Seder coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic , which resulted in many physical seders being canceled throughout the world. The seder aimed to raise funds to benefit the CDC Foundation's Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund. In total, the seder raised more than $ 2.9 million for charity. The seder covered the story of

162-468: A Jewish family, the son of Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager. Greenspan later borrowed his father's first name to create his stage name, Jason Alexander. Alexander grew up in Maplewood and Livingston, New Jersey , and is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School . Interested in magic from an early age, he initially hoped to be

243-472: A clerical worker. Max leaves to raise $ 2 million to produce Springtime for Hitler by calling on elderly women from all over New York ("Along Came Bialy"), and succeeds at raising the money ("Act I Finale"). Leo and Ulla are left alone in Max's office, which she has "redecorated", and they start to fall in love ("That Face"). Max walks in and sees the tempting form of Ulla's covered behind ("That Face" (reprise)). At

324-584: A detrimental effect on the success of the production, prompting the return of Lane and Broderick for a limited run from December 2003 to April 2004. The show's sales then broke its own record with over $ 3.5 million in single day ticket sales. From September 2002 to July 2005, there were two touring companies that played 74 cities across the United States , grossing over $ 214 million. The first tour began on September 10, 2002, and starred Lewis J. Stadlen as Max and Don Stephenson as Leo. They were replaced during

405-666: A guest star in the third episode of the improv comedy series Thank God You're Here . He has been a frequent guest and panelist on Bill Maher 's Politically Incorrect in 1995, 1997 and 2000 and Real Time in 2006, 2009 and 2012; Hollywood Squares in 1999, 2002 and 2004; the Late Late Show in 2003, 2012, 2014 and 2015, with Craig Kilborn , Craig Ferguson , and James Corden ; Late Show with David Letterman in 1989, 2000, and 2002; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015; and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2015. In 2008, Alexander guest-starred in

486-422: A magician, but while attending a magic camp was told that his hands were too small for card magic. He became interested in theater, eventually realizing, "Wait a minute—the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing up there is real" and that theater itself was "a magic trick". He then decided to pursue a theater career. After high school, he studied theater at Boston University . He wanted to pursue classical acting, but

567-499: A musical version of Hamlet . Reviews are overwhelmingly negative, and the show closes after one performance ("Opening Night"). Max, who was once called the King of Broadway, tells a crowd of down-and-outs of his past achievements and vows to return to form ("King of Broadway"). The next day, Leo Bloom , a mousy accountant, comes to Max's office to audit his books. When one of Max's elderly female "investors" arrives, Max tells Leo to wait in

648-401: A new musical entitled " Prisoners of Love ", and they are pardoned by the governor of New York for bringing joy into the lives of their inmates by having them act in the play. Soon after taking Prisoners of Love to Broadway, with Roger and Ulla in the main roles, Leo and Max become successful producers and walk off into the sunset ("Leo & Max"). Everyone comes back for one last song, telling

729-580: A professor redirected him toward comedy after noticing his physique, remarking, "I know your heart and soul are Hamlet , but you will never play Hamlet." Alexander left Boston University without a degree after his third year to take a full-time acting job in New York City. The university awarded him an honorary degree in 1995. Alexander began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer. Alexander made his film debut in 1981 in

810-590: A similar show of this nature was in 2006's Jason Alexander's Comedy Christmas . In February/March 2010, Alexander starred in his show, The Donny Clay Experience , at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas , Nevada . Donny Clay, whom he has portrayed in a tour of the United States and Orillia, Ontario, is a self-help guru in a similar mold to his Bob Patterson character. In 2009, he played Joseph in

891-552: A stage musical. When Brooks met with Jerry Herman to discuss their working together, Herman declined, telling Brooks that he should do the job himself, as he was a good songwriter. Brooks then asked Thomas Meehan to join him in writing the book for the stage. Brooks persuaded Mike Ockrent and his wife Susan Stroman to join the creative team as director and choreographer. After Ockrent's death in 1999, Stroman agreed to continue as both director and choreographer. In New York in 1959, theatre producer Max Bialystock opens Funny Boy ,

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972-631: A supposedly live feed of the playing field hearing startled sports commentators as Alexander and the dog land in the field to wild applause. Alexander appeared in the 1995 TV version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie , as Conrad Birdie's agent, Albert Peterson. He guest-starred in episode 8 of the 1996 variety show Muppets Tonight . He voiced the gargoyle Hugo in Disney 's 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame and its direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II . Alexander voiced

1053-474: A two-state solution, which was later criticised by Roz Rothstein, CEO of the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs. When asked about the IDF, Alexander stated that they were humane and noble, stating "some of the finest, most humane, most admirable, most noble-serving soldiers that I've ever seen" and that "there can never be any doubt that I am also an advocate for Israel". When asked about why he had repeatedly emceed

1134-526: Is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks , and a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan . It is adapted from Brooks's 1967 film of the same name . The story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by fraudulently overselling interests in a Broadway musical designed to fail. Complications arise when the show is a surprise hit. The humor of The Producers draws on exaggerated accents, caricatures of Jews , gay people and Nazis , and many show business in-jokes . After 33 previews,

1215-429: Is best known as one of the key cast members of the award-winning television sitcom Seinfeld , where he played the bumbling George Costanza ( Jerry Seinfeld 's character's best friend since childhood). He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for the role, but did not win any, mainly due to his co-star Michael Richards winning for his role as Cosmo Kramer . He did, however, win

1296-455: Is replaced by David Schwimmer . On opening night, Larry forgets his lines, but instead of causing the play to bomb, his ad-libs keep the audience laughing. Brooks reveals he purposely cast Larry, believing he would fail, to end the show and "free" Brooks of its success. Brooks and his real-life wife, Anne Bancroft , laugh at Larry's performance, but to their dismay, Larry makes the play a hit once again. Huffman and Lane appear as themselves. At

1377-540: Is the silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians. This has been criticised by The Electronic Intifada as "promoting what many Palestinians see as "a false peace that fails to address the structural injustices driving the conflict", and as a fake peace group which "manufactures consent for Israeli apartheid". On Real Time with Bill Maher , he said he had visited Israel many times and spoke about progress toward peace he had observed. On December 6, 2012 Alexander emceed his third gala event for non-profit group Friends of

1458-519: The Friends 2001 episode " The One Where Rosita Dies " as Earl, a suicidal supply manager . Phoebe calls him trying to sell him toner , learns about his problem, and tries to persuade him not to commit suicide. This is referenced in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Alexander appears as Leonard, a neurotic and critical loner. He describes himself as "free" and says he makes money "selling toner over

1539-789: The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "The Bad Guys?" on Brainwashed By Toons (2020). In 2020, Alexander hosted the Saturday Night Seder , an online Passover Seder that featured many celebrities and benefited the CDC Foundation . From February 2023 he co-presented Really? No, Really? , a weekly podcast in which he, co-host Peter Tilden, and their guests attempt to find answers "to life’s most baffling, intriguing, confusing and annoying questions". In July 2023, he made his Broadway directing debut with Sandy Rustin's comedy The Cottage . The cast includes Eric McCormack , Laura Bell Bundy and Lilli Cooper . In 2023, on

1620-600: The DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt (1998), an animated depiction of the Exodus story. The song's composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz provided the piano accompaniment. This performance received widespread acclaim as the program's highlight, thanks in part to the song's resurgence in visibility and popularity through the film's stage musical adaptation , which was running in the West End and suspended performances in response to

1701-677: The Jewish Exodus from Egypt in a humorous light. It featured both Jews and non-Jews. * Rabbis who appeared in the seder. The Saturday Night Seder could be seen on BuzzFeed's Tasty YouTube Channel and was simulcasted on Saturday Night Seder's website and the CDC Foundation's website. In total, more than 1 million people watched the Saturday Night Seder. Following its broadcast, the program became notable for Cynthia Erivo and Shoshana Bean 's performance of " When You Believe " from

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1782-840: The Los Angeles engagement in 2003 by Jason Alexander and Martin Short for the duration of the show's run in that city, as well as in San Francisco . Michael Kostroff , who had several supporting roles in that production and understudied Max, published a 2005 memoir of his touring experience, Letters from Backstage . A second national tour opened on June 17, 2003, at the Colonial Theatre in Boston , Massachusetts, starring Brad Oscar as Max and Andy Taylor as Leo. The cast also featured Lee Roy Reams as Roger and Bill Nolte as Franz. This company toured

1863-567: The Manhattan Theatre Club . In 2018, Alexander played Olix the bartender in The Orville . The same year, he portrayed Gene Lundy, a drama teacher, on two episodes of Young Sheldon . In 2020, 2021 and 2022, he reprised the role of Gene Lundy on one episode. In 2019, Alexander appeared on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Asher Friedman, a blacklisted Broadway playwright who is an old friend of Midge Maisel's father Abe Weissman. He won

1944-833: The Menier Chocolate Factory , London, directed by Patrick Marber , is set to begin previews on November 26, 2024, with an opening night on December 9, expected to run until 1 March 2025. The Producers has been presented professionally in many cities around the world, including Toronto , Berlin , Breda , Melbourne , Brisbane , Cairns , Sydney , Christchurch , Tel Aviv , Seoul , Buenos Aires , Tokyo, Osaka , Nagoya , Copenhagen , Milan , Budapest , Madrid , Halifax , Manchester , Mexico City , Prague , Stockholm , Panama, Bratislava , Vienna , Helsinki , Athens , Rio de Janeiro , São Paulo , Caracas , Lisbon , Gothenburg , Oslo , Oradea , Paris , Varde , Moscow, Ghent , Manila, and Belgrade . In 2005,

2025-664: The NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Television . Alexander made his Broadway debut originating the role of Joe in Stephen Sondheim 's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981. He remained active on Broadway acting in

2106-803: The New York Friars Club Roast event honoring Jerry Stiller , who played his father on Seinfeld ; it featured appearances by Kevin James and Patton Oswalt , both Stiller's costars on The King of Queens . Alexander appeared in the 1999 Star Trek: Voyager episode " Think Tank " as Kurros, a genius alien trying to get Seven of Nine to serve on his ship. Despite a successful career in film and stage, Alexander did not repeat his Seinfeld -level of success in television. The year 2001 marked his appearance as inept womanizer Mauricio in Shallow Hal and his first post- Seinfeld return to prime-time television:

2187-593: The Pantages Theatre . Co-starring were Jason Alexander as Max Bialystock and Martin Short as Leo Bloom. The Las Vegas, Nevada production ran for a year in 2007 to 2008 at the Paris Hotel & Casino. It starred Brad Oscar as Bialystock, Larry Raben as Bloom and Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla, with David Hasselhoff receiving top billing as Roger De Bris. Once Hasselhoff left the production, top-billing went to Tony Danza , who stepped in as Bialystock. The production

2268-470: The San Francisco Giants and another with Trista Rehn of The Bachelorette . It was rumored that he quit doing these commercials due to KFC suppliers and slaughterhouses ' alleged cruelty to animals , but he denied that in an interview with Adweek , saying, "That's PETA bullcrap. I loved working for KFC. I was targeted by PETA to broker something between them. I think KFC really stepped up to

2349-566: The Texas Democrats with former Seinfeld colleagues Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Larry David. He endorsed Barack Obama in 2012 and Joe Biden in 2020 . Alexander has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and he has ridiculed Donald Trump over his dancing. He has called Republican Party senator Ted Cruz a jerk from the "jerk store" in reference to a joke from Seinfeld . The Producers (musical) The Producers

2430-454: The Thomas Nelson audio Bible production The Word of Promise . The project featured a large ensemble of actors, including Jim Caviezel , Lou Gossett Jr. , John Rhys-Davies , Jon Voight , Gary Sinise , Christopher McDonald , Marisa Tomei , and John Schneider . In 2009, Alexander had a small role in the film Hachi: A Dog's Tale as a train station manager. He starred as Cosmo in

2511-686: The gargoyle Hugo in the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and the 2002 sequel as well as the titular role in Duckman (1994–1997). For his role in Dream On (1994) he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series . He also acted in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019). Greenspan was born in Newark, New Jersey to

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2592-650: The season four episode "Masterpiece" of the CBS show Criminal Minds as Professor Rothschild, a well-educated serial killer obsessed with the Fibonacci sequence who sends the team into a race against time to save his last victims. He returned in the same season to direct the episode "Conflicted", featuring the actor Jackson Rathbone . Alexander hosted the LOL Sudbury opening night gala in Sudbury , Ontario, Canada in 2008, which

2673-406: The 1980s. Among them were commercials for Hershey's Kiss ; Delta Gold potato chips ; Miller Lite beer; McDonald's McDLT hamburger; Pabst Blue Ribbon beer; Levi's 501 jeans; Sony Watchman TV; and Western Union wire transfer. Before Seinfeld , Alexander appeared in commercials for John Deere and McDonald's and in the short-lived CBS sitcom Everything's Relative (1987). Alexander

2754-457: The 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series . Concurrently with his Seinfeld role, he had a part in the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs as Al "Sexual" Harris (who frequently engaged in sexual harassment ) as well as other characters from 1991 to 1994. Alexander voiced the lead character in the animated series Duckman (1994–1997) and voiced Catbert ,

2835-420: The 1997 movie MouseHunt ), with Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla, Nicolas Colicos as Franz Liebkind, Conleth Hill as Roger De Bris, and James Dreyfus as Carmen Ghia. The show enjoyed excellent box office success as it had in New York. Despite the departure of Lane from the show, it continued to enjoy strong sales. Max Bialystock was then played by Brad Oscar , Fred Applegate , and Cory English . Leo Bloom

2916-546: The 2001 Tony Awards , The Producers won 12 out of its 15 nominations, setting the record for most wins in history and becoming one of the few musicals to win in every category for which it was nominated – it received two nominations for leading actor and three for featured actor. Its record for most nominations was tied in 2009 by Billy Elliot the Musical and broken in 2016 when Hamilton received 16 nominations, but its record number of wins still stands, as of 2023. Hamilton

2997-677: The 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens 's A Christmas Carol , as Jacob Marley . Alexander's second chance as a TV series lead, the CBS sitcom Listen Up (2004–05), also fell short of a second season. Alexander was the principal executive producer of the series, based very loosely on the life of the popular sports-media personality Tony Kornheiser . He performed on the Family Guy: Live in Vegas 2005 album. Alexander continued to appear in live stage shows, including Barbra Streisand 's memorable birthday party in 2005 for Stephen Sondheim at

3078-729: The 2009 Shellie Award for Best Production. Oscar and Bart reprised their roles as Max and Leo, respectively, in a production at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri in August 2010. A production at the Hollywood Bowl , with Richard Kind, Roger Bart, and Gary Beach reprising their roles as Max Bialystock, Carmen Ghia and Roger DeBris from the original Broadway production, ran July 27–29, 2012. The cast also starred Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Leo Bloom and featured Dane Cook as Franz Liebkind and Rebecca Romijn as Ulla. An Off-West End revival at

3159-527: The 2011 live action film A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! . In 2011, Alexander was the guest star in an episode of Harry's Law , playing a high school teacher bringing a wrongful dismissal suit. In 2015, he replaced Larry David as the lead in David's Broadway play Fish in the Dark . He co-starred opposite Sherie Rene Scott in the 2017 world premiere of John Patrick Shanley 's The Portuguese Kid at

3240-570: The 2024 Met Gala and by herself at the 35th National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C. , both in May 2024. Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander , is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe Awards . He gained stardom for his role as George Costanza in

3321-577: The December 21 primetime CBS special Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic , Alexander performed two songs in conjunction with dance-performers and closed the show with a spoken tribute to Van Dyke. Alexander has been married to Daena E. Title, cousin of director Stacy Title , since May 31, 1982. They have two sons, Gabriel and Noah. Alexander performed a mentalism and magic act at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, from April 24 to 30, 2006, and he

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3402-700: The Hollywood Bowl, where he performed selections from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with Angela Lansbury . He featured in the 2005 Monk episode " Mr. Monk and the Other Detective " as Monk's rival, Marty Eels . In a 2006 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , Alexander demonstrated several self-defense techniques. Also that year, he hosted the PBS "A Capitol Fourth" celebrations in Washington, D.C., singing, dancing, and playing tuned drums. Alexander

3483-697: The Israel Defense Forces , a charity supporting the Israel Defense Forces. Musician Stevie Wonder cancelled his performance at the event following a recommendation from the UN, and a public petition from Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) requesting that he not attend the event. Alexander who was interviewed at the event by Jewish News Syndicate stated he supported the OneVoice Movement , and acknowledged an occupation of Palestine and called for

3564-518: The Siegfried Oath, under penalty of death, promising never to dishonor Hitler's spirit or memory. In doing so, Franz gives Hitler's middle name as "Elizabeth", explaining that his ancestors include English queens. At the townhouse of the flamboyant transvestite and failing director Roger De Bris , Roger and his domestic partner Carmen Ghia initially decline the offer to direct because of the serious subject matter. After much persuading and invoking

3645-550: The US for two years before playing in Tokyo, Japan. A Toronto production opened in December 2003 and closed in July 2004 at The Canon Theatre . The cast included Seán Cullen and Michael Therriault , respectively as Max and Leo, Juan Chioran as Roger, Paul O'Sullivan as Franz, Sarah Cornell as Ulla and Brandon McGibbon as Carmen Ghia. Stroman also directed and choreographed this production with

3726-408: The ads as part of a way to raise money for Denise Faustman 's research on autoimmunity . Iacocca and Alexander both have loved ones whose lives have been adversely affected by autoimmunity. Alexander competed on televised poker shows and in various tournaments. He appeared twice on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown , winning the final table of the 8th season. Alexander won the $ 500,000 prize for

3807-476: The audience to leave ("Goodbye!"). Source: The Producers had a pre-Broadway tryout at Chicago 's Cadillac Palace from February 1 to 25, 2001, starring Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom. The production opened on Broadway with the same cast at the St. James Theatre on April 19, 2001. It ran for 2,502 performances, closing on April 22, 2007. The director and choreographer

3888-460: The auditions for the role of Hitler, Roger rejects one actor after another in summary fashion. Finally, a frustrated Franz performs his own jazzy rendition of "Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band?", at the end of which Max approves Franz's audition. Opening night arrives ("Opening Night" (reprise)), and after Leo curses the production by wishing everyone "good luck" ("You Never Say 'Good Luck' on Opening Night"), Franz literally breaks his leg falling down

3969-445: The bathroom until she leaves. She plays a sex game with Max, who persuades her to give him a check to be invested in his next play, to be called "Cash". Leo reveals his lifelong dream to be a Broadway producer. After recovering from a panic attack caused by Max touching his blue blanket, Leo tells Max that he has found an accounting error in his books: Max raised $ 100,000 for Funny Boy , but the play only cost $ 98,000. Max begs Leo to cook

4050-444: The books to hide the discrepancy; Leo reluctantly agrees. After some calculations, he realizes that, by bilking investors, a producer could profit more from a flop than from a hit. Inspired, Max proposes a scheme to find the worst musical ever written, hire the worst director and actors in New York, raise $ 2 million of investment from elderly women, produce the work on Broadway, close it after one night, and escape to Rio de Janeiro with

4131-615: The character Abis Mal in the 1994 film The Return of Jafar and the 1994-1995 TV series based on the 1992 film Aladdin . In 1997, he appeared in Cinderella , a remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, alongside Whitney Houston , Brandy Norwood , and Whoopi Goldberg . His other Disney voice work includes House of Mouse in 2001 and the 2012 video game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . He has dabbled in directing, starting with 1996's For Better or Worse and 1999's Just Looking . In 1999, Alexander presided over

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4212-632: The charity of his choice, The United Way of America , to help benefit the New Orleans area. Alexander played in the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, but he was eliminated on the second day. He returned in 2009, making it to day 3 of the event and finishing in the top 30% of the field. Alexander has appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark in the "Celebrities and Mentors" episode, finishing in 6th place after being eliminated by professional poker player Gavin Smith . He signed with PokerStars , where he plays under

4293-782: The evening's delightful narrator, accomplishes the seemingly impossible: he banishes the memory of Zero Mostel from the role of Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ". In addition to his roles as an insensitive, money-hungry lawyer in Pretty Woman in 1990, Alexander has appeared in Jacob's Ladder in 1990, The Last Supper in 1995, Dunston Checks In in 1996, Love! Valour! Compassion! in 1997, and Love and Action in Chicago in 1999. Alexander starred in several commercials during

4374-424: The event, Alexander stated, "They don’t understand first of all what [FIDF] is, and they see it as just a blanket support for Israeli military, and they don’t understand how I can say that I’m an advocate for both sides. And given the fact that there are eyes on this event tonight, I thought it was important to get up and say, 'This is why I can advocate for this group and I can advocate for Israel, and I’m not blind to

4455-480: The events of the story ("Betrayed"). At his trial, Max is found "incredibly guilty", but Leo and Ulla arrive in the nick of time. Leo turns in the stolen money and tells the judge that Max is a good man who has never hurt anyone despite his swindling, and the only man he has ever called a friend ("'Til Him"). Touched by their friendship, the judge decides not to separate the partners, sending them and Franz to Sing Sing prison together for five years. In prison, they write

4536-469: The evil director of human resources, in the short-lived animated series Dilbert from 1999 to 2000, based on the then-popular comic strip. In January 1995, he did a commercial for Rold Gold pretzels to be broadcast during the Super Bowl . The commercial depicts him with Frasier dog Eddie jumping out of an airplane with a parachute over the stadium. After the commercial, the audience is brought back to

4617-601: The fact that we’re in conflict, and I hold everyone equally accountable, and I hold everyone equally to my heart.'" On November 6, 2015 he again emceed an event at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in California, which raised $ 31 million for the, "provid[ing] educational, cultural and recreational programs and facilities for IDF soldiers." Alexander is a supporter of the Democratic Party . Alexander supports same-sex marriage and an assault weapons ban . In 2020, he campaigned for

4698-406: The heavily promoted but short-lived ABC sitcom Bob Patterson , which was canceled after five episodes. Alexander partially blames the show's failure on the country's mood after 9/11 . Alexander made cameo appearances as himself in 2001 in the second season of Curb Your Enthusiasm , and he appeared in the show's seventh season with his three principal Seinfeld co-stars. He was featured in

4779-445: The money. However, Leo refuses to help Max with his scheme ("We Can Do It"). Leo's antagonistic boss, Mr. Marks, reprimands him for arriving at work six minutes late and calls him a nobody. While he and his miserable co-workers toil over accounts, Leo daydreams of becoming a Broadway producer ("I Wanna Be a Producer"). He realizes that his job is terrible, quits, and returns to Max ("We Can Do It" (reprise)). The next day, they search for

4860-663: The most offensive play they can find and discover Springtime for Hitler : A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden , an admiring tribute to Adolf Hitler written by ex- Nazi soldier Franz Liebkind . They go to the playwright's home in Greenwich Village to get the rights to the play, where Franz is on the roof of his tenement with his pigeons reminiscing about life back in Germany ("In Old Bavaria"). The producers get him to sign their contract by joining him in singing Hitler's favorite tune ("Der Guten Tag Hop Clop") and reciting

4941-484: The musical was adapted into a musical film . It was directed by Stroman and starred most of the original Broadway cast, except for Brad Oscar – who was unable to reprise the role of Franz because he had signed on to play Max on Broadway and, instead, had a brief cameo as the cab driver – and Cady Huffman. Their roles were played by Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman , respectively. The songs "King of Broadway", "In Old Bavaria", and "Where Did We Go Right?" were not in

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5022-857: The musicals The Rink in 1984, Personals in 1985, and the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound in 1986. He then starred in Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical . He appeared in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks 's The Producers . He was the artistic director of "Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles", where he has directed musicals. His film roles include Pretty Woman (1990), Coneheads (1993), North (1994), The Last Supper (1995), Dunston Checks In (1996), Denial (1998), Shallow Hal (2001), and Wild Card (2015). He voiced

5103-456: The office, Max and Leo are horrified that the IRS will learn of their actions as they read positive critical reviews for Springtime ("Where Did We Go Right?"). Roger and Carmen come to congratulate them, only to find them fighting over the accounting books. Franz bursts in, waving a pistol, outraged by Roger's portrayal of Hitler. Fearful for his life, Max suggests that Franz shoot the actors instead of

5184-439: The original Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on April 19, 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick , and ran for 2,502 performances , winning a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards . It spawned a successful West End production running for just over two years, national tours in the US and UK, many productions worldwide and a 2005 film version . David Geffen persuaded Mel Brooks to turn his film into

5265-476: The pandemic at the time. This led to Erivo and Bean's rendition receiving a studio recording and being released as a single (alongside the program's closing number " Next Year "), on June 30, 2020, by Ghostlight Records . The proceeds from the digital purchases of both songs benefitted the Jews for Racial and Economic Justice organization. Erivo would go on to perform the song with her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande at

5346-471: The phone". Later in the episode, he is repeatedly harassed by a man named George. He appeared in " One Night at Mercy ", the first episode of the short-lived 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone , playing Death . He played the toymaker A.C. Gilbert in the 2002 film The Man Who Saved Christmas . He appeared in Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) commercials in 2002, including one with Barry Bonds of

5427-402: The plate; unfortunately PETA did not." In 2007, Alexander appeared in a commercial for the ASPCA that aired on cable TV stations. In 2018, Alexander portrayed Colonel Sanders in commercials for KFC , reprising his role from the 2002 campaign. In 2003, he was cast opposite Martin Short in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks 's The Producers . He appeared with Kelsey Grammer in

5508-488: The possibility of a Tony Award, Roger relents and tells the producers that the second act must be rewritten so the Germans win World War II while also insisting that the play be more " gay " ("Keep It Gay"). Max and Leo return to the office to meet Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson , a beautiful Swedish woman who wants to audition for their next play ("When You've Got It, Flaunt It"). The producers are impressed, mostly by her sex-appeal, and hire her as

5589-428: The producers as a way to close the show. The police are summoned by the commotion and arrest Franz, who breaks his other leg while trying to escape. They also arrest Max and take the books. As Leo hides, Ulla finds him and persuades him to take the $ 2 million and run off to Rio with her. In jail awaiting trial, Max receives a postcard from Leo, now living in Rio and having eloped with Ulla. Feeling betrayed, he recounts

5670-510: The role of Leo and Russ Abbot played Roger. A new production began a UK and Ireland tour at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on March 6, 2015, starring Cory English as Max, Jason Manford as Leo, Phill Jupitus (until May 16) and Ross Noble (from May 18 onwards) as Franz Liebkind, David Bedella as Roger De Bris and Louie Spence as Carmen Ghia (until May 2). The tour continued until July 2015 in Dublin. A Los Angeles , California, production ran from May 2003 to January 2004 at

5751-503: The same designers as the Broadway production. The Producers opened in London's West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , on November 9, 2004 and closed on January 6, 2007, after 920 performances. The production starred Nathan Lane , reprising the role of Max after Richard Dreyfuss was "let go" by the producers after finding that he was unable "to fulfil the rigours of the role", with four days to go before first previews. Lee Evans played Leo (Lane and Evans had worked together in

5832-511: The screen name "J. Alexander". In 2021, Alexander competed in a virtual National Poker Tournament, hosted by the Children's Tumor Foundation , to raise money for Neurofibromatosis research. Alexander has been a prominent public supporter of the OneVoice initiative, which seeks out opinions from moderate Israelis and Palestinians who want to achieve a mutual peace agreement, through what it states

5913-408: The stairs. Roger is the only one other than Franz who knows the part of Hitler, and he rushes to the dressing room to get ready. The curtain rises, and Max and Leo watch the opening number (" Springtime for Hitler "), which shocks the audience, before sneaking away. Unfortunately, Roger plays Hitler so flamboyantly that the audience mistakes the show for satire, and it becomes a surprise smash. Back at

5994-439: The summer camp slasher film The Burning . On Broadway he appeared in Stephen Sondheim 's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, Kander & Ebb 's The Rink in 1984, Neil Simon 's Broadway Bound in 1986, Accomplice in 1990, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he garnered the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical . Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote of his performance "Jason Alexander,

6075-510: The theatrical cut of the movie; "King of Broadway" and "In Old Bavaria" appear on the DVD as deleted scenes. It opened on December 16, 2005, and received mixed reviews. The fourth season of the TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm , parodies The Producers in the form of a metareference . Mel Brooks offers Larry David the part of Max, with Ben Stiller as Leo. When Larry and Stiller have a falling out, Stiller

6156-401: Was Susan Stroman . Glen Kelly was the musical arranger and supervisor. The production won 12 Tony Awards , breaking the record held for 37 years by Hello, Dolly! which had won 10. After the opening, The Producers broke the record for the largest single day box-office ticket sales in theatre history, taking in more than $ 3 million. The loss of the original stars later in the run had

6237-792: Was a 90-minute version. In 2007, the first U.S. regional theater production played in Lincolnshire , Illinois at the Marriott Theatre from September to November 2007 and starred Ross Lehman as Bialystock and Guy Adkins as Bloom. In 2009, the show played at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania and at the Diablo Light Opera Company in California, starring Ginny Wehrmeister as Ulla, Ryan Drummond as Leo, and Marcus Klinger as Max. This production received

6318-509: Was featured as a recurring cast member in the second season of Everybody Hates Chris . He hosted the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner . He was the artistic director of Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles from 2007 until it went defunct in 2013, where he previously directed Sunday in the Park with George , and directed its 2007 revival of Damn Yankees . In 2007, Alexander was

6399-523: Was later named The Academy of Magical Arts Parlor Magician of the Year for this act. He won the academy's Junior Achievement Award in 1989. Alexander was the national spokesman for the Scleroderma Foundation, a leading organization dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and assisting those who are afflicted. In summer 2005, he appeared with Lee Iacocca in ads for DaimlerChrysler . Iacocca did

6480-466: Was later played by John Gordon Sinclair and Reece Shearsmith . A United Kingdom tour opened in Manchester on February 19, 2007, where it played for three months before moving on. English and Sinclair reprised their roles of Max and Leo, respectively, and Peter Kay was cast in the role of Roger. For the majority of the tour, which ran until early 2008, Joe Pasquale and Reece Shearsmith took over

6561-535: Was simulcast throughout Canada at 60 Cineplex theaters, a first for any comedy festival. He has lent his voice to several episodes of the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas . In 2008 and again in 2009, Alexander fronted Jason Alexander's Comedy Spectacular , a routine exclusive to Australia. The show consists of stand-up and improvisation and incorporates Alexander's musical talent. He is backed up by several well-known Australian comedians. His first time performing

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