Jason Alexander Makes His Broadway Directorial Debut With New Play, 'The Cottage' | The View

I'M THE PERFECT DIRECTOR. "THE COTTAGE" IS A TAKEOFF ON THE OLD KNOW YA COWARD PLAYS, BRITISH, STYLE LYZED AND TAKES MACE IN A BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE COTTAGE WHERE A VERY UPPER CLASS FAMILY HAS A LOT OF INDISCRETIONS AND PLANNED AND NOT PLANNED INDISCRETIONS, A LOT OF INDISCRETIONS AND IT'S A VERY FUNNY PLAY THAT EVENTUALLY BECOMES A VERY SORT OF FEMALE FORWARD STATEMENT ABOUT FEMALE EMPOWERMENT AND

TAKES PLACE IN THE 1920s WHEN IF A WOMAN DIDN'T OWN PROPERTY OR WAS NOT TIED TO A MAN, HER FORTUNES WERE NOT HER OWN TO DETERMINE. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THIS PLAY IS ABOUT. >> Joy: LIKE JANE AUSTEN. >> A LOT OF FUN AND FLUFF AND YOU GO, I GOT SOMETHING. >> Joy: ARE YOU AN ACTOR'S DIRECTOR? >> GEEZ, I HOPE SO. >> Joy: DO

THEY LOVE YOU? >> YOU'D HAVE TO ASK THEM. THEY'RE VERY NICE TO ME BUT I'M PAID FOR THEM TO BE NICE TO ME. IT'S A WONDERFUL CAST. ERIC McCORMACK, LAURA BELL BUNDY, LILLI COOPER, IT'S A GREAT CAST. VETS AND, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD KIND OF DO IT THEMSELVES BUT I'M ALLOWED TO CONDUCT THE ORCHESTRA. YOU KNOW, THE GUY WITH THE STICK ISN'T MAKING THE MUSIC BUT

HE KEEPS THEM ALL IN LINE. >> Alyssa: YOU'VE BEEN TEACHING ACTING FOR OVER 20 YEARS. THIS IS FUN TRIVIA. I HEAR YOU DIRECTED A MUSIC VIDEO FEATURING A BUDDING TAYLOR SWIFT BEFORE SHE BECAME A STAR. >> I BECAME FRIENDLY WITH BRAD PAISLEY AND ASKED ME TO DIRECT AND BE IN "COOLER ONLINE" AND HAD TO SHOOT CONCERT FOOTAGE OF HIM DOING THAT SONG AND HIS BAND WAS

ALL GUYS. HAVE YOU NO WOMEN HERE. THERE'S NOTHING -- AND HE SAID, WE HAVE THESE TWO GIRLS, TAYLOR SWIFT AND KELLY PICKLER ON MY OPENING ACT. IF THEY'RE HAPPY, GET THEM -- LET THEM -- TAYLOR WAS LIKE 17. >> Sara: WOW. >> I PUT HER IN I THINK HER FIRST VIDEO. ALL HER SUCCESS IS ALL MINE. >> Sunny: IT'S ALL YOU. >> Joy: I'M SURE OF

THAT. >> Sunny: YOU ALSO RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW PODCAST. THE PREMISE SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE STRAIGHT OUT OF A SCHD SEINFELD EPISODE. IF WE'RE BEING HONEST ABOUT IT. WHAT IS IT CALLED AND TELL US ABOUT IT. >> THE PODCAST IS CALLED "REALLY, NO, REALLY." MY PARTNER AND I AND IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN HE AND I EXPLORING THINGS THAT WHEN WE HEAR ABOUT IT, WE

GO, REALLY? NO? REALLY? AND IT RUNS 9 GAMUT TO SILLY TO SERIOUS. THE FIRST EPISODE WAS BASED ON A JERRY SEINFELD PREMISE ABOUT WHY IS IT THAT IN PUBLIC RESTROOMS, THE STALL DOORS DON'T GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. WHY DO WE NEED THE VIEWING WINDOW? WE FOUND AN AWARD WINNING AND THIS IS A THING, AWARD WINNING PUBLIC REST ROOM DESIGNER. THEY GAVE US THE

ANSWER WHICH I WON'T TELL YOU BUT WE'VE TALKED TO EVERYBODY -- >> Sunny: MUST BE FOR THE FLOW OF AIR. YOU WANT A FLOW OF AIR COMING OUT OF THE BATHROOM STALL? >> IT'S NOT THAT. WE'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO TRAINED THEIR DOGS TO SPEAK AND TALKED TO ASTRONAUTS THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT SPACE JUNK. WE JUST INTERVIEWED THE MAN WHO CURATES THE MUSEUM OF FAILURE WHICH

IS A BIG SUCCESS, BY THE WAY. IT'S A WILD -- IT'S A TRAVELING INSTALLATION SHOW. IT WAS IN NEW YORK. >> Sara: THERE'S FAILURE EVERYWHERE. >> PLENTY TO GO AROUND. >> Sara: YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE EPISODE ABOUT THE FAILURE YOU SPEAK OF. YOU TALK ABOUT AN INFAMOUS COMMERCIAL YOU DID BACK IN THE MID '80s FOR THE McDLT. I KNEW WHAT THE McBLT. WHAT IS THAT? >>

THE McDLT, I AM THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE BIGGEST FAILURE IN McDONALD'S HISTORY. THE McDLT WAS REALLY -- THERE'S NO "B," L-T, McDONALD'S. WHEN YOU PREMAKE A HAMBURGER THAT LETTUCE AND TOMATO GETS WILTED BY THE HEAT OF THE BURGER SO MADE A TWO-SIDED CARTON SO THAT ONE BUN AND ALL THE CRISP STUFF WAS THERE AND ONE BUN AND OTHER SIDE WAS THERE. GREAT IDEA, SORT OF. THEY

NEVER FIGURED OUT HOW DO YOU GET IT AND ALSO IT WORKS GREAT IF YOU MAKE IT ON A HORIZONTAL AND PUT IT IN THE BAG ON A HORIZONTAL AND SERVE IT AS A HORIZONTAL. HERE'S YOUR ORDER, EVERYTHING ON THE TOP FALLS DOWN AND YOU OPEN THE BOX AND IT'S A MESS SO THE PRODUCT LASTED LESS THAN EIGHT WEEKS. THE COMMERCIAL HAS RUN FOR 20 YEARS. >>

Sara: LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, WE HAVE IT. >> OH, LORD. I'M TALKING QUARTER POUNDER BEECH ON THE HOT SIDE AND THE HOT STAYS HOT CHRISTIANTOMATO AND LETTUCE ON THE COOL, COOL SIDE THE NEW McDLT FOR THE GREAT TASTE OF McDONALD'S [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] HOW COULD THAT PRODUCT FAIL? >> Sara: I REMEMBER THAT COMMERCIAL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THAT WENT

ON FOREVER? >> IT LIVES ON YOUTUBE. >> Sara: AND IN OUR HEARTS. >> AS ALL MY FAILURES, THEY LIVE -- >> Joy: NUCLEAR WASTE. IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY. >> Whoopi: HOW DIDN'T THEY KNOW THAT WASN'T GOING TO WORK? >> I DON'T EITHER, WHOOPI. >> Whoopi: EIGHT WEEKS TO FIGURE IT OUT? >> APPARENTLY THERE WAS ENOUGH CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AT THAT TIME, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW IF

IT WAS EIGHT WEEKS. IT DIDN'T GO ONE XHESCOMMERCIAL CYCLE. >> Joy: A LONG TIME AGO. YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE WAS A LONG TIME AGO, "SEINFELD," 25 YEARS AGO. [ APPLAUSE ] HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? I MEAN, AND IT'S STILL -- IT'S STILL TALKED ABOUT. IT'S STILL RERUN. WHAT TWO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS OF THAT SHOW? IT WAS ABOUT NOTHING, YOU REMEMBER? >> I THINK ALL WE

CAN SAY -- YEAH. ALL WE CAN SAY HONESTLY IS THAT I MEAN I LOOK AT IT AND I GO, IT IS A PRODUCT OF THE '90s, THERE'S NO CELL PHONES, THERE'S NO -- BUT SOMETHING ABOUT IT, SOMETHING IN THE HUMAN CONDITION WE CAUGHT, AND IT'S FUNNY AND FUNNY STAYS FUNNY. YEAH. >> Whoopi: JASON ALEXANDER, ALWAYS A PLEASURE. "THE COTTAGE" STARTS PERFORMANCES JULY 7th AT THE HAYES

THEATER. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO S