Quick Facts
GeminiBiography
Richard Jay-Alexander (born May 24, 1953) is an American Broadway producer and director. He served as Executive Director of the New York City office of producer Cameron Mackintosh, which is known for productions including Les Misérables, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Oliver! and Putting It Together. Jay-Alexander ran Mackintosh's North American operations for twelve years.
His recent directorial credits include the concert versions of Les Miz in 2008 and Guys and Dolls in August 2009, both at the Hollywood Bowl. He has also staged concert productions for performers such as Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, Polly Bergen, Russell Watson, Il Volo, Il Divo, Norm Lewis, Debby Boone, Mary Cleere Haran, Roslyn Kind, Melissa Errico, Betty Buckley, Donny & Marie Osmond, Ricky Martin, Well-Strung, Melora Hardin, Jennifer Leigh Warren, and others.
Jay-Alexander is a long time board member of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Early career
Jay-Alexander began his Broadway career in 1977 as a production assistant on the Broadway Revival of Porgy and Bess, produced by Sherwin M. Goldman and the Houston Grand Opera. He also served as a production assistant on the pre-Broadway try out of Nefertiti which starred Andrea Marcovicci and directed by Jack O'Brien.
His career has taken him around the globe as far away as Alaska and Singapore and from London's Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall to Carnegie Hall, The Sydney Opera House, The Village Vanguard, Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City, Laxness Arena-Cologne, Germany, The Metropolitan Opera House, The Hollywood Bowl, Joe's Pub at The Public Theatre, Brooklyn's Barclays Center, The Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, London's O2 Arena, O2 World Berlin, and just about every other legitimate theatre, nightclub and cabaret in between.
Recent years
In 1998 in Miami, he presented a prestigious series with Ellen Wedner called "Manhattan Nights in Miami." It featured performances by David Campbell, John Bucchino, Mary Cleere Haran, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Steven Brinberg (as Simply Barbra), and the luminous Barbara Cook.
Richard directed two shows in Las Vegas; Storm at the Mandalay Bay and the reboot of Donny & Marie at The Flamingo in the legendary Flamingo Hotel and Showroom.
He directed, what he claims, to be his final Les Miz at the legendary Muny in St. Louis in summer of 2013. He promised it would be his last.
He recently had the pleasure of working with opera legend Deborah Voigt directing a theatrical piece entitled "Deborah Voigt, Voigt Lessons" which was written by Terrence McNally and originally developed by Voigt, McNally and director Francesca Zambello.
Richard opened such prestigious venues as The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California with Russell Watson; Toronto's Skydome with a concert version of Les Miserables, co-directed by Keith Batten; the recent opening of The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and their Walt Disney Theatre with a distinguished cast of Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess, Chris Mann, Deborah Voigt, Michael Urie, Jane Monheit, Ektor Rivera, The Lombard Twins, and The Broadway Kids.
Stage performances
- Amadeus – 1980
- Zoot Suit – 1978
Stage production
- Five Guys Named Moe – Associate Director / Executive Producer – 1992
- Miss Saigon – Executive Producer – 1991
- Les Misérables – Associate Director / Executive Producer – 1987
- Song and Dance – Stage manager – 1985
- Oliver! – Assistant stage manager / Dance captain – 1984
- Amadeus – Assistant stage manager – 1980
