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>Constantine James Maroulis (pronounced /məˈruËlɨs/; born September
17, 1975) is an American rock singer, actor, and writer from Wyckoff,
New Jersey. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth
season of the reality television series American Idol, and lead
vocalist of the hard rock band Pray for the Soul of Betty. He
received a nomination for the Tony
Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in
Rock of
Ages.
Solo career
In November and December 2005, Maroulis performed solo shows in Manila, Philippines and New Jersey, USA. His set list included songs he had
performed previously in his theatre roles, from such productions as Hedwig and the Angry
Inch[21] Rent, and Jesus Christ
Superstar,[22] as well as from
his stint on American
Idol. In August 2006, Constantine completed a solo tour of 13 cities,
where he debuted material to be featured on his upcoming CD, including various
self-penned compositions.[23]
Constantine created his own independent label, Sixth Place Records, a branch
of Sixth Place Productions, which released his 2-years-in-the-making solo album,
Constantine on August 7, 2007.[24] Maroulis'
self-titled CD consisted of 12 tracks, and debuted at #75 on the Billboard
charts.[25]
Maroulis sang the National Anthem when he played at the Reality
All-Star Soccer Festival (organized by Survivor: Africa winner, Ethan Zohn) in April 2007,[26] as well as
before the start of a 49ers/Bengels football game at Monster Stadium, San Francisco in December
2007. The performance, broadcast nationally on the NFL Network, was hailed by commentator Bryant Gumbel as "a
stirring performance." [27] Maroulis has also
performed the Anthem at various other major sporting events, including Madison Square
Garden in April 2009 [28], and
he performed God Bless America at the 2009 Men's U.S. Open.[29] On July 4,
2009, Constantine sang the National Anthem at the official ceremonies to re-open
the Statue of
Liberty's crown to the public, for the first time since its closure after 9/11.[30]
Constantine (supported by Ben Phillips, guitarist/vocalist for the NYC-based
hard rock band FAMOUS) embarked on another solo tour in February 2008,[31] playing to
sold-out venues in various cities including Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Annapolis, and Hollywood, California. On June 22 he performed at
Mattison Park in Asbury Park, NJ as part of the 3rd Annual Wave
Gathering featuring 175 Emerging Musical Artists.[32]
On October 24, 2008 Constantine appeared on an episode of Don't
Forget the Lyrics! as a contestant. As a result of his appearance on the
show, $25,000 was given to the charitable organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights
AIDS.[33]
In September 2009, Maroulis launched his "A Night at the Rock Show" series of
sold-out solo shows in New York City, featuring "Constantine's unique
interpretations of some of the greatest rock songs of all time," [34] and backed by
an all-star band.[35]
[edit] Acting career
In the fall of 2005, Maroulis was in negotiations to star in a television sitcom called Brooklyn that was to be
loosely based on his upbringing as the youngest of three in a large
Greek-American family of New York. Disney's ABC network bought rights to the
show, courtesy of GrammnetParamount, owned by Kelsey Grammer). However,
later ABC passed on the project before it passed the script stage.[11] (of
Maroulis joined the cast of the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer in the role
of Sammy, in September 2006.[36] Along
with the other cast members, he contributed a recording of the Adam Sandler "Hanukkah
Song" to the 8th Carols for a Cure CD to help raise funds for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights
AIDS organization. That fall, Maroulis also appeared on various episodes of
MTV's Little Talent Show as host.[37]
Beginning on January 9, 2007, Maroulis took over the role of "Young Soldier"
in the Off-Broadway musical revue, Jacques Brel is
Alive and Well and Living in Paris [34] where he
performed through the end of February. That spring, Maroulis joined the lineup
at Fox's morning show Good Day New
York, serving as the show's resident American Idol expert; while simultaneously
taking on the same role as Idol commentator for Yahoo! Buzz. Later that year, Maroulis joined
the cast of the CBS daytime drama The
Bold and the Beautiful for a limited run as Constantine
Parros, a singer and record producer; [37][38] a role
created specially for him.[39]
March 2008 saw Maroulis joining the cast of American Idol Extra as cohost, along
with fellow Idol alum Gina Glocksen and J.D. Roberto.[40]Judas Iscariot in the
Premier Theatre Company's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. [41] When in
high school, Constantine had previously played the role of Jesus, in an earlier
production. [42] His next major role occurred that June, when Constantine starred as
Constantine is starring on Broadway as Drew in Rock of
Ages, a new musical featuring the music of 1980s rock legends including
Journey, Bon Jovi, and Twisted Sister.[43] Rolling Stone states
that the "play has found a perfect lead in American Idol rocker Constantine
Maroulis," [44] while
Associated
Press adds that Maroulis "gives a touching performance and sings
powerfully as Drew, the young wannabe rock singer."[45] Maroulis’
vocal performances have been particularly praised, with the New York
Times describing his voice as “soulful, pure, and intense,â€[46] and the
Chicago
Tribune singling out his “dazzling vocal pyrotechnics†as a standout in
the production.[47] The show was
paid a sweet tribute by the landmark New York City restaurant Serendipity 3,
which created a new dessert in its honor: the "I Wanna Rock Root Beer
Float."[48] In
December 2008, it was announced that New Line Cinema would be turning Rock of
Ages into a feature film.[49] The
stage production began running Off-Broadway at the New World Stages in October
2008,[50]Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 7.[51] On
May 5, 2009, Constantine received a nomination for the Tony
Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.[52] In April 2010,
Rock of Ages announced that Maroulis would be headlining the national
touring production, with the first performance opening in Chicago on Sept 21,
2010. [53] moving to
Broadway in spring 2009; taking over the