Constantine Maroulis

Constantine Maroulis
Constantine at the Rock of Ages stage door.
Background information
Birth name	Constantine James Maroulis
Born	September 17, 1975 (1975-09-17) (age 34) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Musician, actor
Years active	2003–present
Labels	6th Place Records
Associated acts	Pray for the Soul of Betty
Website	Official site

Constantine James Maroulis (pronounced /məˈruːlɨs/; 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.

Contents 1 Early years 2 American Idol 3 Betty frontman 4 Solo career 4.1 Acting career 5 Awards 6 List of American Idol performances 7 Discography 7.1 Albums 7.2 Singles 7.3 Other Releases 8 References 9 External links

Early years

Maroulis was born in Brooklyn, New York to Greek American parents, James Constantine and Constance P. Maroulis (born 1938). Both his maternal and his paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Greece in the 1920s.¹ He was brought up in the Greek Orthodox religion² and he can speak Greek. His older brother, Athan Maroulis (born 1964), is a record producer and his sister, Anastacia P. Maroulis (born 1968), is a school principal.³⁴

When Maroulis was five years old his family moved to Wyckoff, New Jersey, an affluent suburb of New York City, where he grew up. At that time he developed an interest in music, following the lead of his older brother. By age eleven he was studying the trumpet at Eisenhower Middle School.⁵

He later sang in high school garage bands, including Lady Rain and Milkbone. Maroulis graduated from Ramapo High School in 1993.⁶ He attended The Boston Conservatory of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater from the Boston Conservatory of Music and a minor in voice from the Berklee College of Music in 2002. He was in the cast recording of the 2000 musical, Suburban Dreams, which was produced by composer Stephen Thompson, Richard Kenner, and Jesse Merz.⁷ Some years before appearing on American Idol, Maroulis competed on the dating show Elimidate⁸ and was an extra in NBC's Law and Order: SVU as well as performing as a voice-over artist on the Kids WB series Astro Boy.⁹

He has appeared in a number of off-Broadway roles from the Conservatory, along with a series of independent films. After graduating the Conservatory, Maroulis trained as an acting apprentice at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival¹⁰ in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and toured in the Broadway international touring company of Rent performing the lead role of Roger Davis.² His role as Roger was non-equity. Since he had no agent representing him at that time, he was allowed to appear on American Idol. ¹¹

American Idol

In August 2004, acting upon his then-girlfriend's suggestion,⁴ Maroulis traveled to Washington DC to audition for Season 4 of the television show American Idol. For the 2005 season, Idol producers changed the age range of contestants from 16-24 to 16-28.¹² Along with Bo Bice (also from Season 4) and Taylor Hicks (winner of Season 5), Maroulis was one of the first contestants to benefit from this change. Maroulis and Bice are also notable for being among the first contestants to compete using the rock idiom.¹³

On April 27, 2005, Maroulis was eliminated from American Idol after he performed Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" during the 2000s music round.¹⁴ Less than a week before his elimination, Maroulis's pre-Idol band, Pray For The Soul Of Betty, announced the May 10 release of their self-titled debut on their label, Baby Julius.¹⁵ Maroulis was featured on the American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers compilation with "My Funny Valentine". His rendition of the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" also earned him the praise of judges, including that of the usually harsh Simon Cowell.¹⁶ At the personal invitation of Queen's guitarist Brian May,¹⁷ Maroulis later recorded a studio version of the track for Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen, which was released on August 9, 2005 on Queen's label, Hollywood Records.¹¹

Betty frontman

Maroulis joined the lineup in 2003 after winning over 150 auditioners ¹⁸ and became the lead vocalist, contributing lyrics and songs. The band rose to national attention when Maroulis appeared on Idol. His audition clip showed him "quitting" the band amongst the displeasure of one of his fellow bandmates, which they have claimed is an inaccurate portrayal. ¹⁹ On March 20, 2006, after three years with the band, Maroulis announced his departure due to creative and business differences.²⁰

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 Inch²¹ 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

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 Grammnet (of Paramount, owned by Kelsey Grammer). However, later ABC passed on the project before it passed the script stage.¹¹

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; ³⁷³⁸ 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 His next major role occurred that June, when Constantine starred as 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

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,”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 moving to Broadway in spring 2009; taking over the 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

Awards

Constantine was the recipient of the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund's Humanitarian Award for Artistic Achievement in 2007. These annual awards recognizing outstanding achievement in the Greek-American community are presented to "individuals who have proven that hard work and dedication lead to achievement, thereby setting a perfect example for the HTSF scholarship recipients to emulate."⁵⁴ That same year, he was also honored with an award from New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. at the sixth annual Greek Heritage and Culture Celebration; honoring individuals recognized as leaders in the Greek Community.⁵⁵

For his performance in the role of Drew in Rock of Ages, Constantine received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.⁵⁶ For this role he also received a Drama League Award Nomination for a Distinguished Performance Award.⁵⁷

Inside Broadway, the not-for-profit educational organization noted for its efforts in introducing musical theater to young audiences in the New York area, presented Constantine with a Broadway Beacon Award on June 25, 2009. These awards are given to individuals in recognition of their support of theater and arts education for the inspiration of young people.⁵⁸

On July 1, 2009, after a matinee performance of Rock of Ages, Constantine and the rest of the cast set a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Air Guitar Ensemble. A total of 810 participants, including audience members and fans, shattered the previous record of 440 people playing air guitar simultaneously.⁵⁹

Constantine was selected as Broadway.com's "Broadway Star of the Year" for 2009, after receiving over 25,000 votes from Broadway fans and readers of the site.⁶⁰

In March 2010, Constantine received the honor of being immortalized in a caricature at Sardi's, taking his place alongside other Broadway luminaries similarly honored at the legendary New York City establishment. ^{61 62} A month later, the Rock of Ages star was immortalized in a second portrait; this time joining the ranks of the famous on the Broadway Wall of Fame at Tony's di Napoli, also in New York City. ⁶³ On April 26, 2010, Maroulis was honored by the New York City Council for his achievements, at a Council event celebrating the 189th year of Greek Independence. ^{64 65}

Maroulis was selected by the Greek America Foundation as one of their "Forty Under 40" winners for 2010. This award recognizes the accomplishments of notable young Greek Americans, who stand out as leaders and who are dedicated to the Greek community. ⁶⁶

List of American Idol performances

Week #

Song Choice

Original Artist

Result

Top 24

"Kiss from a Rose"

Seal

Safe

Top 20

"Hard to Handle"

The Black Crowes

Safe

Top 16

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"

The Police

Safe

Top 12

"You've Made Me So Very Happy"

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Safe

Top 11

"I Think I Love You"

The Partridge Family

Safe

Top 10

"I Can't Make You Love Me"

Bonnie Raitt

Safe

Top 9

"My Funny Valentine"

Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart

Safe

Top 8

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

Queen

Safe

Top 7

"Nights on Broadway"

The Bee Gees

Safe

Top 6

"How You Remind Me"

Nickelback

Eliminated

Discography

Albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions			Certifications (sales threshold)
		US	US Indie	US Heat
2005	Pray For The Soul of Betty Released: May 10, 2005 Label: Baby Julius/Koch Records Format: CD	129	7	2	US sales: n/a
2007	Constantine Released: August 7, 2007 Label: 6th Place Records Format: CD	75	9	—	US sales: 25,000
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

• 2005: "My Funny Valentine" on American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers
• 2005: "Bohemian Rhapsody" on Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen
• 2006: "Hanukkah Song" on Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols For A Cure Vol. 8
• 2009: "I'll Be Home For Christmas/Christmas in America" (duet with Orfeh) on New York City Christmas: a Benefit Album for ASTEP

Other Releases

• 2007: Growing Up With Loukoumi as Gus The Bear
• 2009: Loukoumi's Good Deeds as Gus The Bear
• 2009: Rock of Ages: Original Broadway Cast Recording
• 2009: Loukoumi's Gift as Gus The Bear

References

External links

• Constantine Maroulis Official Website
• Constantine Maroulis at the Internet Movie Database
• Star File: Constantine Maroulis
• Constantine Maroulis at American Idol

v • d • e American Idol season 4 Contestants Carrie Underwood · Bo Bice · Vonzell Solomon · Anthony Fedorov · Scott Savol · Constantine Maroulis · Anwar Robinson · Nadia Turner · Nikko Smith · Jessica Sierra · Mikalah Gordon · Lindsey Cardinale Other sources "Inside Your Heaven"

Persondata
NAME	Maroulis, Constantine James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Constantine
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American singer
DATE OF BIRTH	September 17, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH	Brooklyn, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH