Paul Raskin

West Hartford, Connecticut doesn’t make for a dramatic beginning, but that’s where it all started. 7 Years old. Dance recital. Bushnell Auditorium. 2,800 seats. Me in front of 26 girls. Nuff said.

Since then, I have spent most of my life in and around music, theatre - and musical theatre.

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Chapter One.

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Perpetual travel, fearless adventure and unmitigated indulgence.

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Got my BFA in musical theatre from the Boston Conservatory. While in school, I fell into a gig as an accompanist to a well-known female impersonator. I could sight read and play by ear so that led to another gig. Then another. I was getting paid and.........educated! By the time I got to NYC, pursuing acting would take a back seat. I had befriended a well-known musical director and composer who believed in me and furthered my interest in the standard bearers – from Kern to Sondheim. I played and sang in the bars. Then clubs. Then better clubs. Then ships, hotels and cabarets. Over time, I built a repertoire that allowed me to travel the world and live in a half dozen cities in two countries. Have Tux, Will Travel.

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Chapter Two.

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Recovering from Chapter One.

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Settling down, I committed to developing my story telling skills. I studied and started acting again. First musical theatre. Then I found myself getting cast in TV and film roles. I had a pretty good run for a number of years. This is when I started writing in earnest. There was a story I wanted to tell and a way I wanted to tell it. I began gathering the tools. I have been lucky enough to have success as an actor, singer, writer, composer, lyricist, pianist, accompanist and even a director. I have been around the world as a piano entertainer and around the block as a songwriter. My songs have been heard in cabarets and clubs from Miami to Montreal. My scenes have been read or staged in classes, groups and workshops from 38th Street - way up to Washington Heights! ​

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Now, in my third-and-definitely-not-last chapter I have poured all my experience, knowledge and passion into my musical. All roads led me back to New York City with that mission. Once again, I dove into learning and found extraordinary inspiration  along the way as I created the musical Fortune. and fame.