Alex Brightman on Beetlejuice Being a 'Secret Society' on Broadway, Perfecting His Ghostly Character & More

You're going to want to say Alex Brightman's name three times after seeing him star as the titular demon in Beeltejuice on Broadway. Brightman is returning to the Winter Garden Theatre in the new musical after earning a Tony nomination for leading the company of School of Rock there in 2016. "They said they're going to name the theater after me when I do a third show there," Brightman joked on a recent episode of Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "We'll call it the Winter Brightman."

Brightman has been perfecting his portrayal of the classic Tim Burton character for three years. "I love the Beetlejuice drag," he said. "I didn’t think I would take to it, but I love it. My look is a labor of three years of makeup tests. It ranged from an exact replica of Michael Keaton to something that was way too scary. I remember looking in the mirror and it was frightening."

Bringing Tim Burton's mystical world to life on stage is no easy feat, and Brightman is thankful for the audience's overwhelming support. "The audiences have been nuts," he said. "People have said it's like we lock the doors and have a party for two and a half hours, or that we're in this secret society on Broadway that no one knows about."

While Brightman loves getting to play a vulgar ghost, he wonders what it would  be like to step into another character's shoes. "I would like to know what its like to be Adam Maitland," Brightman said. "Rob [McClure] is elevating normal people in a show about abnormal people. I think its more difficult than what they get credit for. Not to be a jerk, but I always think I'm the funniest person in the room half the time, and it's such the opposite in the show. Every five seconds, I'm like, 'I have to be better; I have to be funnier' because of how good everyone is."

Catch Brightman in Beetlejuice, now playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Watch the full episode of #LiveatFive below!