With the Broadway musical Rock & Roll Man now in full swing, the show’s star, singer Constantine Maroulis joined morning hosts Foxx & Annie at WCBS-FM in New York City to discuss this new era in his career, what fans can expect from the new production, and more.
LISTEN NOW: Constantine Maroulis talks with Foxx & Annie in the Morning
The native New Yorker, former American Idol star, and Tony-nominated singer has fully immersed himself in the Broadway culture, acknowledging that the productions take on lives of their own, and telling Annie he’s proud to be a part of creating something “from the ground up that’s gonna be here long after us.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Constantine adds. “The opportunity with ‘Rock Of Ages’ was beautiful for me. I kind of nurtured that show early on with the producers... and it’s become an iconic title all over the world. Now, 15 summers later, I’m opening ‘Rock & Roll Man’ at the same theater we started ‘Rock Of Ages!’”
Rock & Roll Man "is an origin story of Rock & Roll," he says of the new production, as opposed to his Rock Of Ages which focused more on the height of '80s glam. "This is the early, kind of ugly days. Segregation, Black artists not getting an opportunity to be heard and seen," he explains. "And comes along Alan Freed, out of Cleveland, Ohio, who says 'F all that, I'm gonna play their songs. I'm gonna put them on stage and white kids and Black kids are gonna hang out and Rock & Roll. He basically paid the ultimate price for it," says Constantine. "He was gone by 43, drank himself to death... but he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and he'll never be forgotten, but he's sort of a figure that we do not remember along with those iconic names."
In the show, he says they get to celebrate the legacy and origin stories of artists like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, with an original score and all of the "Big Banger" songs of the era. "You get to see me in a very, very different light. I get some big, powerful Rock vocals in there for sure, it's a very fun show, but it's also got real heavy elements to it as well."
Post-pandemic, he says NYC is most certainly back in business. "I've been here the whole time. The city is just lit! There's people everywhere pouring in and out of the shows... the restaurants are packed... it's a great time to see a show!"
Listen to Annie's full interview with Constantine above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite stars and artists right here on Auday.
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