Richard Jay-Alexander is celebrating a milestone year of 50 years in show business, having moved to New York City in the fall of 1975, the same season that A CHORUS LINE moved into its home on Broadway at The Shubert Theatre. Along the way, he's worked alongside legends of stage and screen, shepherded some of the most iconic productions in Broadway history, and collaborated with artists whose names fill marquees and concert halls the world over - all while navigating an industry that has reinvented itself more than once and never once slowed down to wait for anyone.
If you've spent any time around BroadwayWorld, you may already know the name Richard Jay-Alexander - because he's been a friend to this site and to our CEO/Creator for years, diving headfirst into concerts, creative projects, and just about anything that lets him share his love of this industry with an audience hungry for it.
Today, as he marks an extraordinary 50 years in show business, we are thrilled to celebrate him with this special interview with his longtime friend and our longtime host, Richard Ridge. Sit back and raise a glass, because this one is quite a ride.
Richard started as an actor/singer/dancer and made his Broadway debut in the Luis Valdez play “Zoot Suit” which opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1979. He was also in the Original Broadway Cast of Amadeus alongside Ian McKellen and Tim Curry, which won the TONY and Richard proudly directed the National Tours. He also worked on Song and Dance with Bernadette Peters and the revival of OLIVER! with Ron Moody and Patti LuPone
He is widely known for his 12 years working with Cameron Mackintosh, as Executive Director of his North American Company and staged eleven productions of Les Misérables, as well as serving as Executive Producer for The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe and Stephen Sondheim’s Putting it Together, which starred Julie Andrews, first presented at The Manhattan Theater Club.
He entered the recording industry, via cast albums, and has worked with some of the greatest artists in the world today, both in the studio and on concert stages. Those artists include Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Ricky Martin, Donny & Marie, Lea Salonga, Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth, Betty Buckley, Johnny Mathis, Il Divo, Il Volo, Lea Michele, Norm Lewis, Sam Harris, Debby Boone, Melissa Errico, Deborah Cox, Mandy Gonzlez, Russell Watson, Brian Stokes-Mitchell, Deborah Voigt, and the late Mary Cleere Haran, Laurie Beechman and Polly Bergen among them. He also conceived of series of concerts for Bravo’s breakout star from RHONY, The Countess Luann de Lesseps, which he has thoroughly enjoyed. It’s no wonder he has been dubbed THE DIVA WHISPERER by Lisa Sharkey at Harper Collins Publishing.
Jay-Alexander also helmed two Broadway shows for Kristin Chenoweth, titled MY LOVE LETTER TO BROADWAY and FOR THE GIRLS, the latter in tandem with the release of the album of the same name.
Over the years of his career, Richard has done a number of television commercials, appeared on soap operas, music videos, film work, awards shows, benefits and PBS specials, working in just about every venue in the world, including Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Disney Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House and endless nightclubs, concert halls and stadiums, as far away as Singapore. He proudly serves on the Executive Board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and is passionate about animals, especially adoption and no-kill shelters.
Richard has a rich history of concert work with Broadway’s Norm Lewis and produced The NORM LEWIS Christmas Album. Also, this occasion serves as a full circle moment with Ms. McKechnie and Ms. Lee. Richard happily works with Baayork’s NAAP (National Asian Artists project) for which she was recognized with a special TONY Award. They also did Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp together. With Ms. McKechnie, he worked on her legendary stage concerts, following in the footsteps of the legendary Thommie Walsh and Tony Stevens, and they staged a joyous GUYS AND DOLLS together at The Hollywood Bowl, with an all-star cast. Richard is proud to share in the very special 50thyear celebration of A CHORUS LINE by being a part of the evening’s event with all four TONY Winners: Kelly Bishop, Baayork Lee, Priscilla Lopez and Donna McKechnie.
Richard now makes his home in Palm Springs, CA and continues traveling and hopping the globe, working, with hopes of slowing down a bit and writing more. Richard is of Latin descent (his Mom was Cuban and his Dad Spanish American) He directed many years of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame LA MUSA Awards, honoring Latin Artists and Writers, many of them legends.
He had the privilege of directing The York Theatre’s Oscar Hammerstein Awards Gala, honoring Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, most famous for THE FANTASTICKS, the first musical Jay-Alexander ever directed, as a sophomore in college. It was a star-studded night that he will never forget, as weeks later, Schmidt passed away and, more recently, Mr. Jones as well.
Richard also co-directed (with Ms. Streisand), Barbra’s most recent tour: THE MUSIC … THE MEM’RIES … THE MAGIC, which was filmed in Miami at the American Airlines Arena and is available for streaming on NETFLIX.
He is about to enjoy the 2026 CHAPLIN AWARDS Gala for FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER, this year honoring George Clooney It his 111h year with this beloved gala and past honorees were Helen Mirren, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Rob Reiner, Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Pedro Almodovar, Spike Lee, Viola Davis and Jeff Bridges and is one of his most favorite annual “gigs.”
