Ray Andersen has had quite a musical career. Long-time Jersey Shore rock fans may remember his time as a member of Cats On a Smooth Surface - the Stone Pony house band that Bruce Springsteen often jammed with. Indie rock fans may remember him from his band, Blue Van Gogh, in the mid-1990s. Classic rock fans may have seen him as a member of Meat Loaf where he appeared on many national television shows around the world or with his current David Bowie tribute show. Children and young adults may know him as Mr. Ray performing melodic rock tunes for kids.
In recent years, Ray added theatre to the mix - first with a musical based on one of his most popular Mr. Ray songs, "Kalien the Alien" - and, most recently, Sound Mind, his second time working with Sheryl Berk. The new musical had its World Premiere at Urban Stages in New York City in September and will have its cast album released October 23rd.
New Jersey Stage caught up with Ray to learn more about the play, its reception, and his future.
What can you tell me about Sound Mind?
Sound Mind is a musical featuring an original contemporary rock score. Set in an inpatient mental health facility, the story explores how group therapy can become a powerful catalyst for teen connection, self-expression, and healing. It features six teens and their counselor, as they explore what they’re all going through, individually, and how it connects them, and ultimately gives them hope to live a positive, healthy life.
At first glance it sort of seems like an evolution of Mr. Ray - moving from young kids to teens and their mental health struggles. How did the musical come about?
I formed a nonprofit whereby I wanted to find kids that were on a mental health journey who could speak on that and who also sang, and do educational assemblies, but it evolved into something much bigger after I mentioned that idea to Sheryl Berk, my friend and the well-known author who has three Off-Broadway shows to her credit, as well as writing the book and screenplay that became the wonderful movie, Soul Surfer.
She immediately saw the potential for a full-scale stage production and initiated that we work on it. She crafted a compelling book, and together we co-wrote the lyrics to complement the intensity and vulnerability of my score.
I wrote all the music and we collaborated on the lyrics.
I know bringing musicals up to this stage generally takes quite a bit of time, how long have you and Sheryl Berk been working on it?
We started working on it in 2024.
Did it go through any workshops? If so, what was that process like?
Sheryl had worked with the phenomenal theatre group called KOTA Productions, based in Manhattan by the wonderfully talented, Laura Luc. Laura took it on and assembled a terrific, creative crew. Just fantastic.
The show had three casts of six and two adults, plus additional singer/dancers. Each show featured two sully - one counselor, the other, a mom of one of the teens in residence.
When did you first meet Sheryl Berk? Was it with the Pushcart Players production of Outta’ This World: The Adventures of Kalien the Alien or have you known her for longer?
Our mutual dear friend, Cheri Golub, introduced us to each other, thinking we could artistically, complement each other. Thank you, Cheri!
Did you work with Sheryl on Kalien the Alien or did she build the show around your songs?
That was our first project together, based on one of my most popular kids songs, Kalien the Alien, about a blue-skinned alien who accidentally lands on our planet, and when he arrives, kids are not too kind to how different he looks, and ultimately inspires them to accept our differences. Sheryl thought that would make a strong musical, and it’s been touring the country at schools and small theatres with a great cast from Pushcart Players out of Verona NJ.
Seeing Sound Mind performed has got to be an immensely proud moment for you. You've performed on stage hundreds of times, but is there a special kind of feeling or different kind of energy/nerves/excitement to see actors on stage performing a work you've been part of?
It was absolutely dreamlike seeing and hearing the actors, ages 11-21, singing and speaking content were created. I’m still on a cloud. I first experienced that with the Kalien musical, but to have felt that with an older demographic and a subject matter close to my heart, was and is, extremely gratifying. Not from an egotistical point, but an artistic one, and, of course, because of the message we hopefully conveyed on stage and to whomever sees and hears it.
I have to say, as a lifelong musician who’s always on stage singing, to be sitting in an audience and witnessing - hearing your songs - the culmination of what you’ve created, come alive right before you... it’s surreal.
Besides growing up a rocker, my mom and dad would bring me and my two sisters to many a theatrical show, so this is a dream fulfilled, that I wish to embellish upon.
How they would’ve loved to have been sitting in the audience to take this in. A tear in my eye, as I write that.
The show did fantastic and quickly sold out each performance. Are there plans for an extended run or are you hoping the show is picked up by someone?
Yes, it’s always a joy to see when hard work pays off, and as I’ve stated, my ultimate hope is that the message is seen, heard and deeply felt to hopefully inspire even one young person to know that what they’re going through is not just felt by them. Reaching out for help can turn their life around to see a light they never knew existed.
We had a person in the audience with the background to take it party this limited run we did at Urban Stages Theatre, so we now wait and see.
Seeing it go to Broadway one day, is of course, the ultimate dream, but I would totally be happy to have it go nationwide as an after school theatrical event, with the hope of reaching as many teens as possible.
Meanwhile, we will be releasing the cast album on all streaming platforms on October 23.
Finally, any plans for another musical in the works or down the line?
My brain is always churning, but there’s still plenty to do with this one, as I mix and master the album.
Ray's partner, Sheryl Berk, is a New York Times bestselling author eight times over and a highly sought-after celebrity ghostwriter who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears and Wendy Williams to Farrah Fawcett and Derek Hough. The founding editor-in-chief of Life & Style Weekly, she has spent more than 30 years covering Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and Broadway. She began her career at Theater Week/InTheatre Magazine before serving as the senior entertainment editor for both McCall’s Magazine and A&E Biography.
An established playwright and screenwriter, member of ASCAP, Maestras, NAMFT, as well as The Drama League and Dramatists Guild, she has penned an award-winning production for NYMF and has several works licensed with Concord Theatrical. Her number one bestseller Soul Surfer was adapted into a hit motion picture starring Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid and AnnaSophia Robb.
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It’s a completely singular experience to be in the room and watch real people take the mic and share unforgettable stories from their own lives.
Join us for our third annual Flight Night: An Evening of Drink Flights and Tasty Bites to Benefit Union County Performing Arts Center!
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Compagnie Hervé Koubi in Sol Invictus on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30pm. Sol Invictus is a contemporary dance work combining acrobatics, street dance, hip-hop, capoeira, and martial arts with powerful imagery and inspired choreography.
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- It's time to ditch the same boring recipes and bring big, playful creativity back into your kitchen! Join Top Chef finalist, Food Network star, and author Joe Sasto to explore his bestselling cookbook Breaking the Rules: A Fresh Take on Italian Classics in a virtual discussion on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, presented by the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 2:00pm.
(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Count Basie Center for the Arts welcomes Tony Award-winning actor, author and advocate Ali Stroker for a Community Conversation exploring mental health, well-being and the power of the arts on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at The Vogel. The event begins at 7:00pm.
(NEWARK, NJ) -- World-renowned artist Bisa Butler and Grammy Award-winning artist Durand Bernarr will headline the 2026 Newark Arts Festival, returning October 7–11 for five days of exhibitions, music, performance, artist conversations, family programming, open studios and late-night arts experiences across Newark.
(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre presents Deceived from October 7-11, 2026. Based on the original play, Gaslight, by Patrick Hamilton, Deceived is a psychological thriller that will leave audiences on the edge of their seat.
(EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ) -- American Dream, the premier entertainment and retail destination, continues to bring one-of-a-kind experiences to life, with its latest offering, Dandy's World Gardenview Experience, set to debut this fall. The first-of-its-kind activation for the Dandy's World IP, an extremely popular all-ages survival-horror experience on Roblox will take place at American Dream from October 7 through November 1, 2026, highlighting a festive American Scream calendar.
(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Spotlight Players presents Murder at Blackwood Manor - A Whodunit Mystery Fundraiser on Friday, October 7, 2026 at 7:00pm. There’s been a murder at Blackwood Manor... and everyone is a suspect. Join them for an interactive evening of murder, mystery, suspicious characters, hidden clues and some delightfully questionable behavior, all to support Spotlight Players and their upcoming productions.
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- The Martians are coming... to New Jersey! East Lynne Theater Company presents War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast from October 8 to November 1, 2026. The play was adapted by Joe Landry from the novel by H.G. Wells. It was inspired by and including the Mercury Theater on the Air's infamous 1938 radio play.
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, will present a new comedy from October 8-18, 2026 - B.I.N.G.O. (or Brittney Isle's Nice Geriatric Orgy) by Erin Mallon. In this workshop production, we meet Barb, who desperately needs friends, who has moved into a 55+ community.