This is big...

Ok so you know how women in the 50s & 60s felt about the Beatles, or how girls 11-15 felt about John Mayer after the release of his album Room for Squares five or six years back? Maybe not to quite the same extent, but this image of worship and devotion that you probably have in your heads parallels my feelings towards the 90s phenomenon that was the NBC television sitcom, Seinfeld.

So you can imagine my excitement when I received a booking update email this morning, announcing that Jason Alexander (George Costanza) will be appearing in our July 6 production of Bernstein's Candide in Concert. I will concede that Seinfeld wouldn't been the success it was without contributions from all four perfectly developed characters, Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer; but I will defend George Costanza as the most perfectly written television character of all time until the day I die. Oh that's right, I went there.

So, what does this all mean? Well, you lucky D.C. area residents who spent every Thursday evening in front of the tv from 1989 through 1999 watching Alexander entertain as the neurotic, insecure, George Costanza now have the opportunity to see this wonderful talent sing opera. Most of you probably don't know that fifteen years before “Seinfeld,” Alexander was building a career that would include performing Tony Award-winning Broadway roles as well as appearing in major film and television works; producing; directing; writing; making him one of the most consistently sought after stars in the country. Many may recognize him for his supporting role in the 1989 film, Pretty Woman. In his debut Wolf Trap appearance, he will portray the character of Pangloss. For a character description of what to generally expect from Alexander's performance, check out this wikipedia entry.

If you have been reluctant to try one of our concert operas (recent seasons have brought Carmen, Romeo et Juliette and La bohème) at the Filene Center, you really should try to catch Candide. Instead of sets onstage, we proudly offer the NSO, similar to the set-up described in my earlier entry about Eric Idle's "Not the Messiah" production. But this is no stand-and-sing affair – the singers inhabit and attack their roles just as they would in a fully staged version, with the action playing itself out in front of the orchestra. I'm actually having trouble containing my excitement over the recent bookings of Eric Idle, and now Jason Alexander, two of my longtime comedic heroes.

So for today's video of the week, to give you a little insight in what to expect from Alexander's singing voice, I've posted a clip from his portrayal of Albert in Bye Bye Birdie. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Graham