Klaitz has previously appeared on Broadway as Barry in High Fidelity and the opera-singing Bellhop in Lend Me a Tenor.
Screen credits include "Rescue Me," "Frozen River" and "Law & Order."
| Full given name: | John David Klaitz, Jr. But you can call me Jay. |
| Hometown: | Jacksonville, FL. Wussup Action-ville?! |
| Zodiac Sign: | Scorpio! Look out! |
| Current audition song: | Beyonce's "Single Ladies" |
| Special skills: | Guitar, cartwheels |
| Skill/talent you wish you had or were better at: | Piano |
| First Broadway show you ever saw: | Cats - meow! |
| If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? | Nathan Lane in ...Forum |
| Current show you have been recommending to friends: | Rock of Ages! |
| Favorite showtune of all time: | Beyonce's "Single Ladies" |
| Three favorite musicals: | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum West Side Story Rock of F***in' Ages! |
| The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: | The first time I saw Blue Man Group, when I was in high school. It blew my mind.
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| Music that makes you cry, any genre: | I love sad country music. Willie, Hank, Loretta, etc. |
| MAC or PC? | I hate computers. |
| Most played song on your iPod: | Anything by Wilco |
| Most-visited websites: | eatkittens.com |
| Last book you read: | "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore |
| Last good movie you saw: | "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" |
| Some films you consider classics: | "The Big Lebowski" "District 9" "The Lord of the Rings" series |
| Must-see TV shows: | "The Walking Dead" |
| Three greatest TV shows of all time: | "Twin Peaks" "Lost" "How I Met Your Mother" |
| Pop-culture guilty pleasure: | "Glee" (I can't believe I just admitted that) |
| Performer you would drop everything to go see: | Jeff Tweedy |
| Favorite cities: | San Francisco, NYC, Atlanta |
| First CD/Tape/LP you owned: | First tape was "The Best of The Doors." I literally played it until it was worn out. |
| Top Five Greatest Rock Bands of All Time: | If we're talking strictly rock: Led Zepplin, Guns 'n' Roses, Queen, AC/DC and, personally, I love Motley Crue. |
| First stage kiss: | Cabaret. I was a very naughty Emcee at 17 years old. |
| Favorite or most memorable onstage role as a child/teenager: | See above |
| Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: | I have no idea. I've always been afflicted. |
| How you got your Equity card: | Understudying in grad school. |
| Favorite post-show meal: | Joe Allen for the meatloaf and a Manhattan made with Maker's Mark. |
| Favorite liquid refreshment: | Jack Daniels |
| Pre-performance rituals or warm-ups: | Lots of stretching, and a little scales. |
| Most embarrassing or spectacular flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap: | My first night of Rock of Ages, I simply didn't sing my part of the first verse, which threw off Adam Dannheisser and left us dancing awkwardly and laughing openly. Oops! |
| Most unpleasant or unappealing costume ever: | The bellhop costume in Lend Me a Tenor was gorgeous but brutally hot as it was made entirely of wool. |
| Worst job you ever had: | Working as a not-so-glorified secretary for a divorce lawyer. So much sadness... |
| Who would play you in the movie? | I would, dammit! |
| Who have you played on "Law & Order"? What edition? | I played a cop on "Criminal Intent." I found a dead body with his pants around his ankles, and I got to use the word "jingus" on national television. Yes, it means what you think it means. |
| Leading man role you've been dying to play: | F that! Long live the character actor!! |
| Leading lady role you wish you could play: | Thelma in Thelma & Louise: The Musical |
| Career you would want if not a performer: | Rock star! |
| Three things you can't live without: | Coconut water, my guitar, Burt's Bees chap stick |
| Something about you that surprises people: | I'm obsessively neat and clean. I have a kind of slacker exterior, but my apartment does not. |
| Cool celebrity guests you've met at this or other shows: | De Niro, Buscemi, Galifianakis and lots of other fun celebs came to see Lend Me a Tenor. I'm currently working with Dee Snider, lead singer of Twisted Sister, at ROA, and that dude rules. Great performer, great guy and great friend. |
| "I'll never understand why…" | ...so many people are so uptight. Life's too short! |
