Buddies: Captain Kirk and George

There's a long and interesting interview with Jason Alexander by an interviewer in Australia, where he's taken his comedy festival before it comes to Canada. Among other things, he talks about his long friendship with William Shatner, with whom he has something in common. Each is forever associated with TV characters they played.

On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:41:07 -0700 (PDT), Bobcat wrote:

They're hardly comparable. Shatner is a a legendary household name whereas Alexander is only known for his stage and Seinfeld work. How many people know he's "George" ? Everyone knows who Capt Kirk is.

I don't know...maybe he doesn't compare to Shatner, but he IS well- known as George by many people...mostly the younger generation that came into power after Star Trek and who (unless they are trekkie cultists) don't even remember the show. In my mind, he'll always be George (KFC George, Duck-Man George, yada yada yada)

I think the younger audience recognize Shatner more from his Priceline ads and Boston Legal.

Paige

I couldn't disagree with you more. I know Shatner is a Shakespearean- trained stage star in his own right, besides his TV work in Star Trek etc - he's a fellow Canadian and we know all that.

But Jason Alexander also has a broad and impressive theatrical background. He began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer. On Broadway, he appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, The Rink, Neil Simon's Broadway Bound, Accomplice, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway, for which he garnered the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Returning to the stage in 2003, Alexander was cast in a successful run, opposite Martin Short, in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks' The Producers[6] Alexander also appeared with Kelsey Grammer in the 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. He played Jacob Marley to Grammer's Ebenezer Scrooge. Alexander continues to appear in live stage shows, including Barbra Streisand's memorable birthday party for Stephen Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, in which he appeared with Angela Lansbury, performing selections from Sweeney Todd. Alexander was recently named the Artistic Director of Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles, where he previously directed Sunday in the Park with George. He is scheduled to direct the upcoming revival of Damn Yankees at Reprise! (courtesy Wikipedia).

Of course they're comparable in stature.

"Bobcat" wrote in message news:[email]...

I defer to the quaff.

LOL! At first I didn't read you. My thinking went to episodes with drinking (quaffing) scenes. But then I remembered the one in which George gets a wig and says: "Ha ha ha ha, oh all right, go ahead, deride, deride if you must. But let me tell you something, with my personality and this set of hair, you know what I am now? I am in the game. I no longer defer to the coifed. I'm a player!"