Jason Alexander Begins a New Act

For better or for worse, Jason Alexander has become tied to the crabby, inept man he portrayed on “Seinfeld” for nine years. Alexander perfected all of George Costanza’s tics and tendencies, creating a legendary character that was both easy to identify with and repulsive. So it was slightly disarming to see Alexander so charming and poised when he came to Harvard on Thursday. In an eventful day, Alexander answered questions in a Cabot House talk with former Nieman fellow Alicia Anstead in the afternoon and performed with the Immediate Gratification Players in an evening ceremony. In these two events, Alexander showed the humor for which he is so famous, but also made it clear that he is a renaissance man who can also sing and dance.

Alexander dove into his early history during his conversation with Anstead. His first love was magic, but he was lured to the theater at 13 when a very pretty girl came up to him and asked him if he sang: “I do now!” He scored a role as a Von Trapp child in the local production of “The Sound of Music,” and within a year, he was working professionally. “Theater is instant community,” he said. “Everybody is accepted and loved.”

Alexander landed his gig on “Seinfeld” through what he termed a set of happy accidents. He said he auditioned for the role by impersonating Woody Allen and proceeded to give a first-rate impression of the comedian at the event in Cabot.  He said he initially struggled with playing the idiosyncratic George, but upon discovering that the character was based largely on the show’s producer and co-creator Larry David himself, he saw the character as more human. “It opened the whole psychology of the character,” Alexander said.

“Seinfeld” soon became one of the most popular shows on television in the late 1990s. Alexander reminisced about his favorite episodes, which included “The Chinese Restaurant” and the controversial “The Contest.” “Nothing about that episode should have been allowed to happen,” Alexander said, but then declared that the episode was a turning point and fueled the show’s major success.

Since the show’s end in 1998, Alexander has dabbled in directing, producing, writing, and poker. Alexander’s prolific theater career  included winning a Tony Award for “Best Featured Actor in a Musical” in 1989 for “Jerome Robbins' Broadway.” The actor also divulged that his dream role would be Sweeney Todd, the murderous, psychopathic singing barber from the musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” “I know things about that role that no one has done yet,” he said, adding, “Not that I’ve killed somebody,” to the laughter of the audience.

In the evening, Alexander was honored as the Player of the Year by the Instant Gratification Players, and received a signature honorary yellow-and-red IGP tie . He told a series of stories, and the IGP then improvised their comedy using them as a starting point. Alexander then jumped in on some of the sketches himself. The IGP did particularly well when Alexander detailed a prank gone awry that involved making sexual gestures toward “Seinfeld” co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a front of a crowd of shocked spectators at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

Alexander said he will continue to perform—he is currently touring the country and giving stand-up comedy performances, and he hinted that he will return to Broadway next year.  Though Alexander may be defined by George Costanza, his performances on Thursday show that his talents extend far beyond that iconic role.

—Staff writer Andrew R. Chow can be reached at andrewchow@college.harvard.edu.