Meet the Nominees: Rock of Ages‘ Constantine Maroulis

Theatergoers who only know Constantine Maroulis as that guy from American Idol have discovered that he is more than just a good singer. In fact, his performance as wannabe rocker Drew in the musical Rock of Ages — the first leading role he has ever created on Broadway — has earned him a 2009 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

“I feel very lucky,” says Maroulis. “This business is a lot about luck and timing. To have the opportunity to create a role in a great show has always been a dream of mine, and then to be able to help take us from Off-Broadway to Broadway and then to get a Tony Award nomination — well, it’s all been a real thrill.”

Maroulis actually grew up in a theater-oriented family, and began his acting career as a teenager. “I was 13 years old when I did my first show, which was West Side Story; I played the third Jet from the left,” he says. “It was probably terrible, but it was just so magical to me that I knew that it’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I eventually studied at the Boston Conservatory, and then was an apprentice at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and even toured in Rent all before American Idol even came along. In fact, when the Idol auditions came up, I was just an out of work actor and singer with a little rock band who needed a job.”

Fortunately, Rock of Ages allows him to draw on all of his talents. “Drew has some interesting emotional moments in the show. In the end of act one, he’s starting to become the rock star that he wants to be and has always wanted to be. He also knows that he loves Sherrie, but he knows that she’s betrayed him at that point, so we see him go into this interesting sort of transition leading into act two,” he notes. “And to go out there and perform these classic rock songs every night consistently, especially when there’s a lot of buzz about your show, is really exciting — even though it’s been quite a challenge. But to be able to be out there doing my thing, and to have this great cast to support me, is all I could ask for.”