When comedy writer/producer Bruce Ferber was penning his debut novel Elevating Overman, he admits that Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander did cross his mind. “As I was writing the book, I was thinking, ‘Well who are the kinds of people who would play this in a movie?’ You envision the character in your mind. And you know (Ira) Overman (the central character), he’s not George Costanza because George Costanza was kind of a schemer. And Overman really isn’t a schemer, but he winds up in a similar place to George Costanza, at least at the beginning of the novel,” says Ferber. So Jason, he was kind of in my head.”
Still, the successful television comedy writer and producer associated with hit sitcoms like Home Improvement, Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, and Coach hadn’t originally anticipated that his novel exploring the funny but painful journey of a complicated man would be played out in an audio book featuring the vocals of Jason Alexander. Ferber didn’t know the actor. But months after his book was published, when he learned a friend was producing a play directed by Alexander, Ferber got the book into Alexander’s hands. Now, with the audio book launched, the unlikely duo who once competed for Nielsen ratings without even knowing it, joined me for my podcast Whine At 9 to discuss their project.
Listen to Nancy’s interview with Bruce Ferber and Jason Alexander here, on iTunes, or Stitcher Radio.
“Not only were they (ABC’s Home Improvement and NBC’s Seinfeld) up against each other, I think you guys were at the top of the hill when we began our journey upward,” laughs Alexander, also recounting the ascent of his show. The popular actor attributes the three to four month response time it took him to get back to Elevating Overman’s author to his reading style. Says Alexander, “I am the world’s slowest reader because actually I have that disease that a lot of actors have where we can’t just read, we have to sort of act it out. And so we say each line in our heads as if we were playing it and that makes for a rather slow first pass through a book.” Quips Ferber, “(But) it makes for a hell of a great audio book.”
Ferber was surprised when he learned that Alexander was going to take on every role in the novel. “I wasn’t expecting him to act out every single part….It was just awesome.” Alexander’s inspiration behind this challenge came from experiencing the work of Grammy Award-winner Jim Dale who performed all seven of the Harry Potter audio books. Says Alexander of Dale, “His ability to create characters with his voice is just astonishing. And he set the bar and I was just trying to follow, you know, as humbly as I could, in those footsteps.” When it comes to Elevating Overman, “There is so much more than what meets the blurb,” says Alexander. “It sounds like a light book– a light comedic novel. And what he’s (Ferber) achieved is something that is really, really mature and compelling. As I read it the first time, I started to think about the issues and the relationships that Overman is grappling with and how he matures and progresses and finds his authenticity in those relationships.”
Ferber admits the studio experience was an enjoyable process, but with Alexander’s busy schedule it was all work and no time for any George Costanza-esque adventures. “We had to squeeze this thing into three days,” said the author. Now with the audio book complete, will the pair reconnect any time soon? Jokes Alexander channeling a perfect George Costanza persona, “Certainly he owes me some sort of an egg breakfast at this point I think.”
Listen to sample audio of Bruce Ferber’s Elevating Overman with Jason Alexander here.
Find out more about Bruce Ferber’s upcoming novel Cascade Falls here.
Nancy Berk, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, comic and entertainment analyst. The host of the showbiz podcast Whine At 9, Nancy digs a little deeper as she chats with fascinating celebrities and industry insiders. Her book College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind can be seen in the feature film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.
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