Arts & Entertainment
Rockin' The Big White Way
A producer of the Tony-nominated Rock of Ages developed
his passion for theater at West Bloomfield High School.
Jayson Raitt: "I love the challenge of
Rock of Ages: The company.
Alice Burdick Schweiger
Special to the Jewish News
p
roducing two shows on the New
York stage at the same time is a
dream for many theater insiders.
West. Bloomfield native Jayson Raitt, 37, is
living that dream.
One of the producers of the musical
Rock of Ages, now performing to sold-out
crowds on Broadway, Raitt nabbed a Tony
nomination this spring for best musical,
one of five awards the show competed for.
And Raitt's long-awaited Vanities, a New
Musical opens Off Broadway on July 2,
with a run currently scheduled through
Aug. 9.
"I am thrilled about both shows being
performed at the same time this sum-
mer," says Raitt, who graduated from West
Bloomfield High School in 1989."I worked
on Vanities, a New Musical for a number of
years and to see it reach fruition is won-
derful. And to have a show as acclaimed
and enjoyed as Rock of Ages — well, it
rocks!"
Raitt gravitates toward musicals
because he loves telling stories through
song and dance. "I have always been a
huge fan of musical theater;' he says, "I
love the challenge of putting all the pieces
together."
While some producers' primary goal
is to raise money to fund a show, Raitt
prefers the creative side. He attends staged
readings and workshops to get to know
writers and composers and enjoys devel-
oping new material. "I like to shepherd
new work and develop new projects from
C4
July 2 • 2009
scratch to finish," he says.
Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical featur-
ing 1980s pop hits by the likes of Journey,
Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon and Twisted
Sister. Starring American Idol alum
Constantine Maroulis, the story is about
a wannabe rock star from Detroit and an
aspiring actress from Kansas who fall in
love on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
Unique to this show, mini flashlights are
handed out to audience members upon
entering the theater so they can partici-
pate in creating a rock-concert effect; and
drinks are served in the aisles.
Rock of Ages began Off Broadway before
transferring to the Broadway stage. Raitt
was at the Off Broadway opening and was
introduced to one of the lead producers,
"who suggested I get involved. He thought
I could bring a different viewpoint and be
a good support:' says Raitt.
Raitt's new Off-Broadway show, Vanities,
a New Musical, spans the 1960s through
the late '80s and chronicles three Texas
women from their teens to adulthood,
exploring the importance of their friend-
ship over the years. The suc-
cessful long-running 1970s-era
Jack Heifner play upon which
it is based has been reinvented
as a musical with a score by
Jewish composer and University
of Michigan graduate David
Kirshenbaum (Summer of '42)
and is directed by Tony winner
Judith Ivey.
Vanities, a New Musical: Lauren
Kennedy, Anneliese van der Poi,
Sarah Stiles.
Originally, Vanities, a New Musical
was scheduled to open on Broadway in
February 2009, but it was postponed due
to the recession. "Second Stage Theater
asked if we would be interested in doing
the show with them Off-Broadway; and
in this economic climate, we felt it was a
wonderful opportunity and made sense:'
Raitt explains.
Critics and audience response will
determine the fate of the show. "It's
possible that this show will transfer to
Broadway like Rock of Ages," says Raitt,
who produced Vanities at the Pasadena
Playhouse in California last summer,
where it had a successful run. "In the
meantime, one of the top touring compa-
nies has committed to setting up a tour,
and we know it will do well in colleges
and small theaters. It will likely come to
Detroit, too."
Raitt's passion for the theater began at
West Bloomfield High, where he acted in
school plays. He went on to earn a degree
in film and television at the University of
Michigan and a master's in film producing
at UCLA.
Raitt stayed in Los Angeles for some 12
years building his resume, including work-
ing at Sony, doing fundraising and pro-
ducing events at the Pasadena Playhouse
(where in 2004 he encountered a young
pre-American Idol named Adam Lambert,
who had a small role in 110 in the Shade, a
musical Raitt produced — "He was a nice
kid:' he remembers) and developing new
musicals in the community.
In 2005, Raitt relocated to New York to
make his mark on the Great White Way.
Since moving to the Big Apple, he has
produced the Festival of New Musicals for
the National Alliance for Musical Theater
and worked with New Line Cinema to
promote the Hairspray movie by produc-
ing cast appearances on Oprah, the Today
show and for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day
putting all the pieces together."
Parade.
He also produced the Off-Broadway
show Make Me A Song: The Music of
William Finn and Being Alive (an all-new,
all-black-cast Stephen Sondheim produc-
tion) in Connecticut and Philadelphia.
To increase his opportunities, Raitt has
networked with other Detroit-area Jewish
friends who are influential on the New
York theater scene, including producer
Jeffrey Seller (Rent, Avenue Q and In The
Heights), composer Andrew Lippa (The
Wild Party, The Farnsworth Invention
and the upcoming The Addams Family)
and actor Douglas Sills (The Scarlet
Pimpernel). "We Michigan folks stick
together," he says.
Despite his busy schedule, Raitt man-
ages to get back home, especially for the
Jewish holidays. "I am very close with
my family, and I love to spend the High
Holidays and Passover with them: says the
producer, who celebrated his bar mitzvah
at Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield.
He is the son of Jane and Stephen Raitt
of West Bloomfield and brother of Marni,
who until recently worked in public rela-
tions for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
This summer, Raitt will help produce
a series of concerts with Jewish cantors
in Poland and Israel. "It's a celebration of
cantorial and Jewish music over centuries:'
he says. "There will be 70 American can-
tors and members of their congregations
going on the trip. One of our concerts will
be at the opera house in Warsaw with a
70-piece orchestra."
Presently, Raitt is developing a couple
of new musicals, including a catalogue of
works by composer Bob Merrill (Funny
Girl, Sugar, Carnival, Take Me Along, New
Girl in Town). He also is working on a
holiday show based on Truman Capote's A
Christmas Memory.
"I have had many great moments in my
career so far:' says Raitt, "and I can't wait
to see what's next."
Rock of Ages is at the Brooks
Atkinson Theater, 256 W. 47th St., in
New York City. (212) 307-4100.
Vanities, a New Musical runs July
2-Aug. 9, with possible extensions,
at the Second Stage Theater, 307
W. 43rd St., in New York City. (212)
541-4516.