Jason Alexander to Star in World Premiere Play The Portuguese Kid by John Patrick Shanley

Tony winner Jason Alexander will lead the cast of The Portuguese Kid, a new play written and directed by Pulitzer-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley, set to play Manhattan Theatre Club's off-Broadway venue, New York City Center—Stage I. Previews of the work will begin on September 19 ahead of an October 24 opening night.

Set in Providence, Rhode Island, The Portuguese Kid focuses on the habitually widowed Atalanta, who pays a visit to her second-rate lawyer Barry Dragonetti (Alexander). Intending to settle her late husband's affairs, this larger-than-life Greek tightwad quickly becomes a nightmare for her cheesy, self-aggrandizing attorney. Add Barry's impossible Croatian mother, a dash of current politics and a couple of opportunistic young lovers, and you have in hand a recipe for comic combustion.

Alexander is most known for his work as George Costanza on the hit TV series Seinfeld. He made his Broadway debut in 1981 in Merrily We Roll Along and received the 1989 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Alexander has also appeared on Broadway in The Rink, Broadway Bound, Accomplice and most recently replacing Seinfeld creator Larry David in Fish in the Dark. His off-Broadway credits include Forbidden Broadway, Personals and Light Up the Sky. 

Shanley won the 2005 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Doubt, which he later adapted for the screen, earning an Academy Award nomination. His other plays include the two follow-ups to Doubt—Defiance and Storefront Church—as well as Outside Mullingar, Prodigal Son, Four Dogs and a Bone, Sailor's Song and Cellini. Shanley won a 1988 Academy Award for his screenplay to Moonstruck.

Additional casting and creative team for The Portuguese Kid will be announced at a later date. The Portuguese Kid was a part of the Vassar Powerhouse's festival season in 2016.