George Costanza, his neurotic, obnoxious, yet endearing character from the iconic sitcom "Seinfeld," won't be anywhere nearby when Jason Alexander performs at Harrah's Resort Saturday, Oct. 17.

Nor, for that matter, will the real Jason Alexander.

Instead, the "Seinfeld" alumnus will be appearing in character - and rug - as Donny Clay, a fictitious motivational speaker along the lines of Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra. Backed by filmed segments, the smooth-talking Clay will lead the audience in an interactive send-up of a New Age-style revival meeting.

This touring production traces its roots to "Bob Patterson," Alexander's short-lived, post-"Seinfeld" TV vehicle, and is based on a show Alexander created for corporate audiences.

"My agents were getting all these offers for corporate bookings, and I had nothing to offer them," he says. "(The corporate version has) been so successful, my agency said, 'What about doing this for a lay audience?'"

The versatile Alexander, whose career includes a wide range of TV and movie roles, as well as a Tony Award for "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," can be seen, once again, as George in guest appearances on the current season of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," written by and starring "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David.

Before arriving in Atlantic City, Alexander talked about the appeal of doing a one-man show, whether he needs to distance himself from George and if there's such a thing as the "Seinfeld" curse.

Q: Were you worried that audiences would take "Donny Clay" seriously?

A: Everybody gets it - they get the spoof. For whatever your ticket price is, you're getting what's really a stand-up comedy show with music in a theatrical venue. Jason never shows up - you get Donny all night.

Q: How's life on the road?

A: At the moment, it's kind of fun, because I never did it. I've been really lucky in my theater career - most of what I did originated in New York and stayed there.

The downside to the road is that I still have kids in the house. I don't love being away. In a perfect world, I would love to see if Donny is something that could sit down somewhere like Vegas. Then I can commute - it's a 30-minute commute (by plane) from Vegas to L.A.

Q: Did you base Donny on a particular self-help guru?

A: He's not really based on anyone. He's part Tony Robbins, part Dr. Phil, a little bit of Deepak, a little bit of Mr. Rogers. All of these guys are telling you how to live, and they're more or less dysfunctional.

You need a certain kind of ego to believe you've earned the right to stand up in front of a group of strangers and tell them how to live their lives. The few I've met have some problems, not to say the work they do

doesn't have some merit.

Q: Is the show a way for you to further distance yourself from George, your character on "Seinfeld?"

A: I've got nothing to prove to myself. This comes out of a desire to keep working. I really love working. I really love live performance.

What I love about this particular show, I've got nobody telling me what to do. I found television very frustrating in that regard. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. You come up with something funny, then they dismantle it. We put something together, the audience tells you we like or we don't like it. That, at age 50, is something I like.

Q: Is there any truth to there being a "Seinfeld" curse on subsequent TV series projects?

A: Anecdotally, the only one who's fared well is Julia, and that was her second time. It's very hard to sustain a show in television, but if there is a comparison, I don't think anything will compare to "Seinfeld" - it was a very unique situation. You carry the burden of having this huge juggernaut to compare it to. Nine out of 10 times, it won't be compared (favorably).

But a curse? That's a bit melodramatic.

'Donny Clay'

starring Jason Alexander

WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17

WHERE: The Concert Venue, Harrah's

Resort, Atlantic City

HOW MUCH: Tickets, priced at $40, $50 and $60, are available at the Harrah's box office or through Ticketmaster at 800-736-1420 or www.ticketmaster.com.

'Enthusiasm' for 'Seinfeld'

For "Seinfeld" fans who have long hoped for a small-screen reunion, the cast's collective guest shot this season on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is probably the closest they'll get.

"This is it, man, take it or leave it," says Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza during the series' nine-season run. "It's not a 'Seinfeld' episode, but you find out what happened to the characters. It's another chapter in the 'Seinfeld' saga."

Although "Curb," as a project of "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David, has a similar tone to "Seinfeld," it's a much different animal. For one thing, the dialogue is completely improvised.

Having taped his appearances, Alexander can report that he and his former castmates still have that elusive "chemistry" with each other.

"It was great," he says. "I'm sure we all worried about it a little. It's been 10-plus years. You don't know if the chemistry is still going to be there, or if the characters will be worth doing."