Star of the Year Alex Brightman Shares His Favorite Things of 2019, Including Beetlejuice TikToks and Rob McClure

To say it's been a major year for Alex Brightman would be an understatement. In the past 12 months, Brightman appeared in his sixth Broadway show as the titular ghoul in Beetlejuice, earned his second Tony nomination, performed on national television several times, led the new musical to box office-breaking numbers and got a dog named Kevin. As if that wasn't enough, the actor was also voted the 2019 Star of the Year by fans and named one of the best performances of the year by Broadway.com's staff. Brightman was surprised with the Star of the Year news while appearing on Broadway.com's #LiveatFive.

"What? No way!" was the first thing out of Brightman's mouth after he was presented with the news that the fans voted him Star of the Year, amid a flurry of confetti and noisemakers. "I just want to say I don't do theater because I like money and applause," he said. "I don't do theater for any other reason other than to make people happy, including myself. This does not weigh light on my heart." He then gave a shout-out to fans, saying that his fame is, "due to you. Not a little bit due to me, all due to you."

Brightman also looked back on his eventful year and named some of his favorite things of 2019, including The Mermaid Inn as his favorite meal (watch his episode of Side by Side by Susan Blackwell to see why). He also named actor Rob McClure, who starred with him in Beetlejuice and recently left the show to do Mrs. Doubtfire, as his best new friend. "We had circled around each other for quite awhile and then we got to do the show together," explained Brightman. "Our relationship is so like grumpy old men. On the first night of the D.C. performance of Beetlejuice, we're off stage left and he turns to me and goes, 'I love you man.' And, I said, "Rob, I love you too. How many more times you need me to say it back to you?' And that has defined our relationship. I cannot wait to see Mrs. Doubtfire."

This year also marked Brightman's second Tony nomination; he previously earned a nod for starring in School of Rock, which also played at the Winter Garden Theatre. Although the night was a blur, a standout moment for Brightman was when he cried off his Beetlejuice makeup. "I was upstairs washing my makeup off because we had just performed and I got to watch one of my dear college friends, Ali Stroker, win the Tony," he recalled. "I burst into tears. I had to rewash my face after that. She's one of the first people I met in New York and one of the first people I had a crush on in New York. I get choked up when I think about it now."

Unsurprisingly, Beetlejuice has amassed quite the fan base thanks to social media, but one platform that has taken the musical to new levels is TikTok. Brightman admitted, "I still don't have TikTok," then adding with a laugh, "but I'm apparently all over it." And finally, Brightman's favorite hashtag of the year can be summed up in three words: "#DontEvictBeetlejuice."

See Brightman in Beetlejuice, playing at the Winer Garden Theatre!

Watch the full #LiveatFive episode below!