Rock, Pop, and Rock on Broadway – All in the Life of Constantine Maroulis

At this time 20 years ago, Constantine Maroulis was on the verge of becoming a household name. After a two-year tour of "RENT," the then recently unemployed actor joined a friend who suggested they go to D.C. to audition for the TV show, "American Idol."

Maroulis had the talent, the looks, and the ability to mug and pout for the ladies on the other side of the camera all the way to the top 6. Almost everyone expected to him to go much further in the competition, but he was cut during the 2000s music round. His surprising departure was big news in the pop culture world, much to the delight of conspiracy theorists who speculated he was booted off for numerous reasons. Some even called it a coverup for a scandal involving judge Paula Abdul and another contestant.

Life after "Idol" for Maroulis included a Tony nomination for his work as Drew in "Rock of Ages," an impressive resume of theater work, and, of course, playing in a rock band. His post-"Idol" path has not always been an upward trajectory, but Maroulis has weathered a few storms that might have been somewhat easier had he not been one of the most well-known of all the "Idol" alums. He is currently performing in "AVALONA, A Musical Legend," an immersive, multi-genre experience of song, storytelling and dance that runs in New York City through March 29.

Recently EDGE had the chance to chat with Maroulis about the show, his career, and, of course, "American Idol." Turns out the bad boy of Season 6 is really one of the good guys. Smart, charming, funny, and a bit of a nerd (which he owned after sharing that he has a rather large collection of "Star Wars" figures), he freely acknowledges his greatest accomplishment of all: his 14-year-old daughter Malena.

EDGE: I've read everything I can about "AVALONA" and I'm still not sure what it's about.

Constantine Maroulis: I think that's how Dina (Finai) likes it. She's an incredible singer-songwriter, performer. I've known her and her husband Bob (Kinkel) for some time now. Bob is an incredible artist and producer. He's a co-founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, obviously an insanely successful act. He was right there in the early days with Paul O'Neill. I think this has been in her sort of bubble for a very long time. She's a really beautiful performer and artist. I think she had this vision of this archetypal, mythical, dance, rock, immersive expression that she found as Avalon. I know that sounds very New Agey and weird, but that's kind of what it is. It's not a normal book musical. It's not something that necessarily has a beginning, middle and end. But for me, the space that we're in, talent trying to do something new and daring is what always interests me. The songs are fantastic.

EDGE: So, what is it about?

Constantine Maroulis: I think it's sort of based on these kind of Jungian archetypes: the search for love, the search for acceptance and finding your power within you. And the fine line between like what lurks in the shadows and what is good for us to lead a peaceful and loving life. Yeah, we sort of skate the edges around there. It's more of a concert in a way.

It's something magical. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I'm into it. We did a few nights in front of some great audiences a month or so ago and it was, "Whoa!" We made some minor adjustments and you should definitely come check it out because I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's pretty fucking beautiful.

EDGE: What do you think the experience of an audience might be?

Constantine Maroulis: For me, it feels almost like watching "Avatar" or something. They're fighting for survival and finding love in their place. You don't know why, but you're completely invested in what's happening with these performers. You're following Avalona (the title character) along in her struggle to find love. It's really open for interpretation. It's broken rules to create this bubble where theater can happen. It's totally experimental in my opinion and different and something really cool.

EDGE: We'll get to "American Idol" in a minute, but before that you went to Boston Conservatory (BoCo)?

Constantine Maroulis: I did. It was some of the greatest years of my life for sure. I wasn't ready for the Conservatory right out of high school. I graduated high school at 17 and I had done all the leads in school. But my grades weren't great. I played in a really good rock and roll band and I was following the Dead and Phish around. It was the early '90s. We were playing gigs and colleges. I was going to school part-time. It wasn't until I did a really big show with Billy Porter and people like that that I knew I needed more training and found out about the Conservatory. I was a non-traditional student. I was already in my early 20s and had been floating around, working audition, touring being a bit of a hippie. But after meeting Billy and all these people I got my shit together and went off to BoCo. I did the program in three years. I did something every summer, Gloucester Stage Company where I met Israel Horowitz, Seacoast Rep and Williamstown. It was the greatest few years for me and so essential to my growth.

EDGE: Was the goal with you always theater?

Constantine Maroulis: Yeah, I grew up as an actor, but I could also really sing rock and roll, not just "RENT"-like theater rock and roll. So I always did both. I sang in good bands, but there was always something about script and score that was always with me from when I was very young. My brother was in a production of "West Side Story" and it just sort of just grabbed ahold of me. We would watch the movie as a family, and "The Wizard of Oz" and "Jesus Christ Superstar." It was a huge part of my life.

EDGE: How did you get from BoCo to "American Idol?"

Constantine Maroulis: A few months after Williamstown I booked "RENT "and went out on the road for a couple of years. I never did it on Broadway. I had my band out there. We were playing shows and "RENT"-heads would show up. After a couple of years they said, "We're not brining you back. We're bringing in the next young cast." I came home and an old girlfriend said, "Let's go audition for this TV show, American Idol." I had been on the road and I was at BoCo. We didn't have the phone in our hand. We didn't use the internet like that. I don't even think I had a personal computer. I'd go to the library, check email and stuff. I don't think there were even clips back then. I knew what "American Idol" was. I knew Kelly Clarkson's name, Fantasia, Clay and Ruben. I knew Paula Abdul was on that show and Simon. But they had only had three seasons so I didn't know much. I figured let's go. I need a job.

We took the Fung Wa bus down to the D.C. auditions. We heard if you get there early enough you would be heard. About 20,000 people showed up. It was nuts. I think that's where Carrie (Underwood) was as well. We got bracelets and stood on line. People were ready to camp, but I had some money so we got a hotel room and left a jacket or something to hold our place in line. Next day, we went right in. I had my leather jacket over my arm, my hair was highlighted out from all the Roger in "RENT" stuff. They had the camera on me. "Who are you? What's your story?" They had just upped the age to 28. I was basically turning 29 at the time. I made it by a couple of weeks, maybe a month. Remember, I'm an actor. I told them I'm in a band in Brooklyn and they don't know I'm here. I was in a band in Williamsburg and that was sort of trendy. And I was just in "RENT" which was super credible iconic. I went with the New York bad boy who was going to leave his band for "Idol" fame. And it was great.

Basically, the entire premiere episode was me breaking up with my band. I remember watching it with a group of Idols because we were back in Hollywood doing bits of Hollywood week taping. Ryan Seacrest on TV saying, "Picture this. You're playing in a rock and roll band..." and then they break into this whole thing that was about 20 minutes of the episode. Everyone was just looking at me. They were so mad I got so much face time. By the time I got back to New York, before the top 24 had even started, it was so big people were recognizing me on the street.

EDGE: Did you have any idea it was so big?

Constantine Maroulis: No, nothing can prepare you for this. It was one insane period in pop culture. People forget. It was something we'll never see again. It was really the end of all of that. There's so much saturation and so much content everywhere now. that was the last thing we all gathered around and watched together.

EDGE: The average viewership for season 4 was 28.5 million.

Constantine Maroulis: That's crazy time. We were really up there. It's wild when you think that my life for a little while I was this guy from TV.

EDGE: There were people, like me, who thought you were being told to mug and pout for the camera intentionally. Were we right?

Constantine Maroulis: Funny story, Bruce Gowers, an old-time TV director who the producers loved because he was so old-school showbiz, camera directed a lot of the shows. He actually directed the original Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" video, the one in the '70s with the faces, before videos were really a thing. For some reason he really liked me. He would encourage me, tell me to look right into the camera at the girls at home.

EDGE: And it worked.

Constantine Maroulis: What's interesting is I was a little older than the others and all of a sudden all the moms that were home watching had this kind of fun guy who's not a little boy they could watch. This mom army became my demo. I would not have thought that would be my main base, but they've been with me forever. There're still some really hardcore fans out there and they're wonderful. It was a good time, but I was really focused.

EDGE: Many people say you went home too soon.

Constantine Maroulis: Some people thought that was fantastic television. I had never been in the bottom three. But I had been going out a lot, hanging with everybody and there was this one paparazzi guy out there. We had a lot of time on our hands between shows. I don't know. I lost the song I was supposed do one week and I did this Nickelback song and they threw me off. It was a big shocker. The story was everywhere. There's all these theories, but the truth is it was probably the best thing to happen to me. If I had made it to the finale and lost to Carrie, I probably would've made some crappy record. They were so focused on Carrie that I might've disappeared.

EDGE: You sure she would've won against you?

Constantine Maroulis: I knew Carrie was going to win right away. I'm an actor, I've been in casting stuff my whole life. I saw her audition tape and said there's your winner. That's "American Pie" right there.

EDGE: Eventually you made it to Broadway, getting a much-deserved Tony nomination for your work in "Rock of Ages."

Constantine Maroulis: I had done a couple of things before that. I got a deal to develop a show. We did several versions of it, ABC bought it, but we never got out of the pilot phase. There are millions of shows, even attached to major stars, that never get made. People have no idea. I was living in LA at the time but kept the conversation with the "Rock of Ages" people going the whole time. When the time was right, I went back for an audition. They originally wanted me to play the rock star, Stacee Jaxx, but Kristin Hanggi kept saying I was Drew, the wannabe. I needed that. If people came in and I was just rock starring it would've been obvious. What made a winning combination and dynamic is that I played the opposite, the sort of affable, kind of shy guy who had the talent but was really there for love. He just wanted to play his guitar, write songs and live in Pasadena with his wife.

EDGE: When you were back at the Boston Conservatory, did you ever think one day you would be a Tony-nominated actor?

Constantine Maroulis: Ever think about it? I'd be lying if I said no. Would actually be one? I'd be lying if I said no. I believed very much that there was a place for me, even before "Idol," in contemporary musical theater. I'm a real actor. I did the Scottish play in Boston with Boston Theater Works. I was at Williamstown. I did an adaptation of the Agamemnon story, a play at Gloucester Stage Company that Neena Beber wrote. I remember Chris Pine getting up there the first day at Williamstown doing Hamlet. He was so fucking incredible. Magnetic. And I remember thinking oh my God, I've got work to do. And I do it. I'm synonymous with "Rock of Ages" and "American Idol" and long hair and the smoldering and singing high notes, but I'm just as capable of delivering a super small, subtle performance.

And "AVALONA" has been really rewarding, to be honest. Whether we have 300 people or 30 people in there, I look forward to it. It's 90-minutes. It is super sexy and beautiful. And, yeah, I think it really will elicit some conversation, like, "What the hell did we just see? What is that?" But I feel good, and it's all about love, and that's it.

EDGE: What's next?

Constantine Maroulis: I'm relentless. Everyone who knows me thinks I might do too much. I have a passion for putting on a show. I long for the next original concept TV show or Broadway show, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for it. I'm always hustling. I'm a father. I met her mother during "Rock of Ages." She's 14, going to start high school next year at my old high school. She's kind and beautiful, takes all honors classes, is in National Junior Honor Society, and plays three sports. I'm very blessed.

"AVALONA, A Musical Legend" continues at the The Sanctuary at St. Paul & St. Andrew Theatre
263 W 86th Street NYC through Mar 29. For more information, follow this link.

For more information about Maroulis, visit his website.