New Blog!

Hello HISTORY BOYS AND GIRLS!

Now that the show has come to a close and I am back home in San Jose, I must end the HISTORY BOYS BLOG!

However, never fear, for I have created a new blog that will chronicle the next step!

I don't know what that step will be, but when I do, so will you!

So if you are interested, please check out my newest blog, "ACTING CRAZY."

thank you so much for reading and keep the comments coming!

always,
Alex Brightman

The Home Stretch

Well, History Boys and Girls, it's about that time.

With only 4 performances left to go, the sadness begins to set in. I have had such a wonderful time in the show and I wish it didn't have to end.

I have made so many good friends that I'm sure will be lifelong, and I've learned more about acting and work ethic than I could ever have imagined.

Thank you to the whole cast and crew for every single thing! This has been a family that I will surely never forget.

And, of course, to the fabulous audiences! With so many different and unique reactions to the show, it made every show a new show. Thank you also to those who saw the show more than once. Thanks for making it through.

A special thank you to the HISTORY BOYS AND GIRLS who have been avid readers of this blog.

Thank you for your comments and the love!

Alright, time to go get ready for our last 4 shows!

Love to everyone!

Alex Brightman

"I was looking for something more...lingering."

Posner

SCHOOL...THAT'S ALL IT IS...BACK TO SCHOOL.

I know that I haven't updated for a long time. That is probably because there hasn't really been anything going on.

However, today was a very special day for THE HISTORY BOYS. Today, we performed the show for almost 2,000 high schoolers from all around the Los Angeles area.

Needless to say, we were a little anxious about what it was going to be like.

2000 teens + 1 dense script + plenty of sexual humor=POSSIBLE DISASTER!

I am pleased to report that my math skills (like always) were completely wrong. I can honestly say (and I speak for all of my cast mates) that this was one of our best audiences yet. They were attentive, on top of the references, and really responsive!

We had such a fun time performing the show, because it was like performing it for the first time.

If any of the high school students get ahold of this blog and are reading it right now, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for making these shows outstanding. You were truly a great breath of fresh air!


We have one more student show tomorrow and I already know it's going to be wonderful.

After that....ONLY 5 MORE PERFORMANCES LEFT!!!!

Signing off,
Alex "Poz" Brightman

"You've been a very long way away. Thank you for coming back to me!"

-Brett Ryback as Scripps as Cyril Raymond from Brief Encounter (whew!)

A Shameless Plug!

My friend Matt Doyle, currently appearing in Broadway's Best Musical, SPRING AWAKENING, also keeps a blog that tracks his career.

He just recorded a new studio recording of the musical, BARE.

I suggest you all head to his blog and pick up the CD when you get a chance.

www.mattdoyleweb.blogspot.com

www.barethealbum.com

On a HISTORY BOYS note, performances are going INCREDIBLY! We are having different and exciting crowds each and every night! Thanks to those who have come and a special thanks to those who have seen it more than once!

If you haven't seen the show yet...WE ARE ONLY OPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 9TH! What are you waiting for?

Have a nice day/night!

"So much for Shakespeare!"

-Mr. Hector to Mr. Irwin

Higher Res Magazine Cover

Just wanted to post the better quality picture that is gracing the cover of FRONTIERS MAGAZINE!

enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE CAST OF "THE HISTORY BOYS!"

Back to the usual show schedule from now on!

love,
alex

OPENING NIGHT PICTURES!!!

Hello Everybody!!!

As promised, here are some OPENING NIGHT photos!

Enjoy!


Me with Zachary Quinto (Sylar from HEROES!) and TR Knight (Dr. George O'Malley from Greys Anatomy)


The HISTORY BOYS before the big show!


Talking with TR


Me and Seth (who plays Dakin)


Me and Seth talking with Matthew Rhys (from BROTHERS AND SISTERS on ABC)


Me and Charlotte (who plays Mrs. Lintott) with Mr. Tim Curry!


Talking with Mr. Zach Quinto about his upcoming role in the new STAR TREK film (He plays Young Spock!)


PHOTOS BY RYAN MILLER, CAPTURE IMAGING

Dakin and Posner on the Radio!

If you are in the LA area tonight, listen to KXLU 88.9FM radio at 7pm!

Mark Gordon will be doing a live interview with Me and Seth!

Listen up and I will try and plug the blog if I get the chance!

Enjoy, and thanks again for reading!

Alex b.

"I enjoyed your programs, but they were more journalism than history."

-Mrs. Lintott to Irwin

Peter Paige is Hungry!

Photo Credit Greg Endries


Well folks, we took so many good pictures in our photo shoot...they couldn't use all of them!

But we were lucky enough to snag one from the cutting room floor and bring it to our loyal History Boys and Girls!

Here you go! Hopefully, more to come!

"I didn't know you were that way inclined."

-Irwin (Peter Paige)

The Cover of "FRONTIERS" Magazine!

Hello History Boys and Girls!

The run is going just great!

We are getting great word of mouth and shows are selling like hot cakes! Get them while they are hot!

In other news, Peter Paige, Seth Numrich, and Alex Brightman (myself) made the cover of FRONTIERS MAGAZINE!

To see two more pictures of these handsome boys (if I do say so myself), go to the website below!

http://www.frontierspublishing.com/mag/index.php?o=art&article=1815

Enjoy!

"History isn't such a frolic for women. Why should it be? They rarely get around the conference table!"

-Mrs. Lintott

LA TIMES Review!

Here is our first review that I have found. It is from the LA Times. Enjoy!

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-history16nov16,1,1649003.story?ctrack=3&cset=true

"I have a feeling Kafka was good at table tennis."

-Crowther

THE BOYS MAKE THE EVENING NEWS!

Opening night was a success! There are plenty of fun pictures to come!

But to tide you over, here is the NBC news story on us! Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

http://video.knbc.com/player/?id=184657

OPENING NIGHT

Well History Boys and Girls, we finally made it to the PRESS OPENING NIGHT of THE HISTORY BOYS!

So many friends, family, and not to mention a few celebrity guests will be joining us this evening for, what I think is going to be, an AMAZING NIGHT!

With the help and support of everyone in the cast, crew, and creative team, this show is now a livewire full of energy.

When I first read the play, I could only imagine the kind of energy it would take to make Alan Bennett's words fully come to fruition.

And now, a mere two and a half months later, I am fortunate enough to see that energy at work. It is a wonderfully satisfying feeling to bounce 3 tons of energy around a stage for almost 3 hours a night. I can't wait to share this beautiful play with everyone.

Thank you again to everyone who has been following along on this blog. And thanks to all of my friends back home in NYC. I miss you all so terribly and it kills me that I can't fly you all out here to come see it. I love you and miss you all!

I have to go get ready now because we have an interview today for KNBC news. Check it out tonight at around 5pm!

To those who have already seen the show, THANK YOU FOR COMING...AND COME AGAIN!

For those of you who are coming tonight or during the regular run, WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!

And for those of you who don't have tickets yet...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!

Be on the lookout for post-show party pictures! Those should be a riot.

Until then, "Wish (us) luck as you wave (us) goodbye!"

Always,
Alex and the cast of THB

"Eight really brilliant, bright, good looking boys learn how to succeed in the modern world."

-Paul Miller on THE HISTORY BOYS

Production Photos!

Here are a couple shots from the show in action!

Enjoy!

Mr. Irwin teaches the boys a lesson.


Peter Paige as Irwin/ Seth Numrich and Brett Ryback as Dakin and Scripps, respectively.


Mr. Hector (Dakin Matthews) connects with Posner (Alex Brightman)

Missing our UK Friends!

I just wanted to take a moment on my day off to express how much we, as a cast, appreciate all of the support from our UK counterparts!

In just a few short days, Paul Miller, our incomparable director extraordinaire, will be leaving us to head back home to London!

It is bittersweet because this is just the beginning of the run and yet all of the UK has been taken out of the show.

I want to take the time to really say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the following studs who made this show possible.

Richard Sisson: For letting us know when our singing was "7 shades of SHITE." You inspired us all to work harder and really focus to make the musical aspect of this show truly shine.

Jack Murphy: For teaching us to "COST IT." We have been keeping it at a 6 and we couldn't be prouder of the work we are doing. Thanks to you, we are that much more of a team.

Ben Taylor: For taking this show to a whole new level with his PHENOMENAL video work. Not only are his videos professional, fun, and awe-inspiring, but Ben is a true friend to all. We had so much fun hanging out with him outside of rehearsal as well. He is a true AMERICAN GANGSTER. "My Man!"

JB Blanc: For taking a rag-tag group of American boys and transforming them into a group of best friends from a small town in Yorkshire called Sheffield. With his crazy anecdotes and filthy jokes, I know that I have never had so much fun working than with this show. Thank you sir, for kicking our "laughing gear" into shape.

and last, but not least...

PAUL MILLER!!!

I am physically hurting that our true "SIR," is leaving. Mr. Miller inspired all of us to work hard and play hard. He helped us boys to establish a 7+ year friendship in under a month. He is clever, funny, bright, and caring.

We will all miss him dearly.

To all of our friends from the UK:

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR GRATEFUL HEARTS!

love always,
Alex

A Time to Learn

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the full page spread in THE LOS ANGELES TIMES!

The article is all about the masterful JB Blanc's "unenviable task" of turning 8 American boys into 8 boys from a small South Yorkshire town called Sheffield.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-history11nov11,1,1204023.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

"It's cutting edge miss. It really is."

-Rudge to Mrs. Lintott

Dakin Matthews in VARIETY!

Check out the interview/article on one of the best actors I have seen in a long while. He just so happens to be portraying the rolel of our teacher/role-model, MR. HECTOR in the show.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975683.html?categoryid=15&cs=1

Enjoy, and if you need more info about the show, please visit CenterTheatreGroup.org or check out:



http://lastheplace.com/2007/10/10/the-ahmanson-theatre-presents-the-history-boys/ for more information.

Articles (Present and Upcoming)

Hello hello!!!

Three previews out of the way! It still feels like we started rehearsals yesterday. Personally, I am having so much fun performing this show for an audience. We have been getting great, energetic, and extremely responsive crowds each night. That really helps with the momentum of the show as a whole.

However, je divague.

There's some more stuff to check out about our fun little play.

First off, there is an article about the wild History Boys in the Downtown News...just a precautionary note...Kristen, the reporter made a small mistake in the article and printed that I (Alex Brightman) portray the role of Dakin in the play. This is just a mistype. I play the role of Posner in the show, and they are going to print a correction ASAP. I just didn't want any of the readers to get confused.

http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/11/12/entertainment/entertainment01.txt

Also, if you want to check out the Center Theatre Group website, they have recently put up 3 separate PODCAST interviews.



Here is one with our esteemed director, Paul Miller:

http://www.centertheatregroup.org/uploadedFiles/Plays_and_Tickets/Productions/2007/The_History_Boys/files/Paul_Miller_Podcast.mp3

Here is one with our very own Mr. Irwin, Peter Paige:

http://www.centertheatregroup.org/uploadedFiles/Plays_and_Tickets/Productions/2007/The_History_Boys/files/Peter_Paige_Podcast.mp3

And here is the interview with Seth Numrich (Dakin) and Alex Brightman (Me/Posner):

http://www.centertheatregroup.org/uploadedFiles/Plays_and_Tickets/Productions/2007/The_History_Boys/files/Seth_Alex_Podcast.mp3

Enjoy all of these fun supplements to the show! Also, we have seen the Sunday LA Times spread on us learning the dialect from our fantastic dialect coach, JB Blanc. It is very cool and I will post it the minute it is released.

Also, look out for an upcoming article/interview in VARIETY with our Mr. Hector, Dakin Matthews. He is so cool.

Bye bye for now!

"You don't object to our use of the word mindset, do you sir? Mr. Hector doesn't care for it. He says if he ever catches us using it, he'll kick our arses from bollocks to sundown, sir."

-Akthar to Mr. Irwin

Flowers and Sweet Transvestites

Two previews under our belts and we are feeling extremely positive and excited about the upcoming month!

Just a quick post this time because I have two new fun pictures!

My family sent a gorgeous arrangement of flowers to the stage door for me! It was a wonderful surprise and gave me such an energy boost for the show that night. Here is what they look like sitting at my dressing room table! Thanks family!!!



Also, last night's preview went extremely well! And as most of you theatre folk know, the second performance is always the toughest. This audience was a dream! They were with us from the very start and they never let go. It was a thrill!

It also didn't hurt that Mr. Tim Curry decided to join us that evening. He came backstage after the show and I was fortunate enough to meet him and talk to him briefly. He is the sweetest, kindest, and most complementary gentleman! I was also fortunate enough to snag a quick picture with him before I took off! Enjoy!



We have a few more previews left to go! If you would like to see the show in it's fetal stages, please come support us during previews! Visit the Center Theatre Group website and get your tickets now! Otherwise, we will see you whenever you decide to come! Time to get ready for another day of rehearsal/show! Take care!

Alex "I Met Tim Curry" Brightman

"A euphemism is a nice way of saying something nasty. Whereas, "have a drink," is a nice way of saying something nice."

-Dakin to Mr. Irwin

Post Preview Excitement!

Hello History Boys and Girls!

Our first preview is behind us and I think it went over extremely well! We have already been getting enormous positive feedback and I think the show can only get better!

Let's just put it this way...BRUCE VILANCH liked the show...and our FIRST PREVIEW at that! And he's the freaking CENTER SQUARE on "Hollywood Squares!" Nuff sed.

Anyway...for your visual enjoyment, a couple new articles have appeared online and I will be sharing those with you right about...now.

A new Playbill.com article graced the front page yesterday about our show starting it's run.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/112553.html

Also, a new interview with Peter Paige is on the Hot In Hollywood website.

http://www.hotinhollywood.tv/ (Look for the article "Peter Paige at Play)

And to top it all off, there is a promotional video showing off all of our gorgeous mugs on YOUTUBE! Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTn3tB1Ahn8

I think that's enough for now! As always, I will continue to post new stuff as it comes to me!

Keep the comments coming! We always love to hear from you!

Love,
Alex and The Company of The History Boys

"It's famous, you ignorant little tarts!"
-Mr. Hector

PREVIEWS!!!!

It is now a couple minutes after midnight...which means THE HISTORY BOYS has its first audience TONIGHT!

We have been in the theatre for a good week or so now and we are starving for an audience. We can't wait to see how the show is going to work with an audience to bounce it off of.

I am nervous and scared...but mostly just ANXIOUS AND EXCITED!

Please come and check out the show if you are in the area! From what I have seen and from what I know about the talent of the cast, it is sure to be a hit!

Below are some pictures of THE BOYS hanging out backstage and in the dressing rooms!

Enjoy!

"About suffering, they were never wrong, the old masters. How it takes place while someone is eating or opening a window."

-Timms quoting Auden

The History Boys in the Ventura Star!

Hello History Boys and Girls!

As the show nears opening, it is now the special time where we are going to start getting some press attention.

Today, we are in the Ventura Star with a small article focusing on our resident studs, Paul Miller and Peter "Hey Aren't You That Guy on Queer as Folk" Paige.

Check it out!

Lata!

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/01/making-history/

Tech Week is on the Rise!

Hello all!

I just wanted to drop in a post because I haven't done one in a little while. It is my day off today and I have a whole lot of nothing to do.

We have just begun running the show in it's entirety...all 2hr 45min of it! It is an exhausting show, both mentally and physically and we are starting to add elements of scene change music tracks and all of that technical stuff.

Which brings us steps closer to the looming TECH WEEK! For those of you that know the lingo, it looks as if we are going to be doing 4 "10 out of 12s" this coming week. And then we begin previews! And for those of you that don't know, preview week goes a little something like this:

Rehearse all day...show at night...sleep....get up, and do the same thing. We do this for a week straight, at the end of which we will have a 4 show weekend. Let's just say that this is not the time to start developing a cold...or stage fright for that matter.

Anyway...as Gracie Fields once said, "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye! Cheerio, here I go on my way!"

Until the next post, happy day off!

Always,
Alex b.

Sunday Times Ad

Hello all! This is the FULL PAGE AD they will be running in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

Get them while they're hot. Enjoy!

Check these out!

Hello everyone! Below are two professional pictures that we will be using in the ads! Enjoy!
Photos by Craig Schwartz

A Great Day Off!

Usually, I am so bored on my days off, I resort to watching CSI: marathons on Spike TV until I fall asleep. Exciting right?

But yesterday was different. This day off was special. Why you ask? Because my dad was in town!
He came down to LA to meet up with his two brothers, Rich and Jerry, so they could surprise my grandma (their mother). They decided to come and pick me up as an added surprise for her.



The day was so much fun. We had a great lunch at Brent's Deli, Uncle Rich tried to learn my Yorkshire dialect, I got to see all of my cousins who I love so much, and Grandma was thrilled to see all of us. It was a very successful day.



We only have 2 weeks until we open this show to the public. Seeing my Dad was just the boost I needed to get me through the next 14 days.



To my family who is following the blog, I love you all so much. Thank you for reading and supporting.

I will wrap this blog entry with a quote from my cousin Mike, who is the most hysterical up and coming stand-up comedian on the planet.

"Jell-O...it's twelve different colors that all taste the same. And yet, restaurants will always serve it to you in a crystal goblet, while the Carrot Cake, the best of all vegetable-based cakes, gets a styrofoam plate and Saran Wrap." -Mike Brightman

The Boys...in Character.

And now, introducing the boys of THE HISTORY BOYS!!!

Demond Robertson as CROWTHER


Sean Marquette as TIMMS


Brett Ryback as SCRIPPS


Alex Brightman as POSNER


Ammar Ramzi as AKTHAR


Cord Jackman as RUDGE


Adam Armstrong as LOCKWOOD


Seth Numrich as DAKIN


And Peter Paige as MR. IRWIN