On Saturday, June 15, Tony Nominee Constantine Maroulis gave two concerts at Avenel Performing Arts Center. The APAC advertised the show as part of “Broadway Comes to Avenel” and his setlist reflected that theme. The singer/actor is well known for his strong tenor voice. The songs he sings and the personal touches he gives to his shows add much to the audience’s enjoyment. The show I attended at 8:00 was filled with people who remember Constantine Maroulis from Broadway as well as Season 4 of American Idol. From their reactions and post show comments, I would say they really enjoyed the show.
Mr. Maroulis used his storytelling skills to weave the program together. He opened the show by singing “There’s a Place for Us” and “Maria” from West Side Story. Between those two songs, he spoke of watching the movie on television a few times a year with his family. As a very young boy, he was impressed with what he saw. He later appeared as an ensemble member of the Jets in a local production of West Side Story. This gave him some very valuable experience and a strong interest in musical theater.
He kept that interest going after high school when he enrolled in the Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music to study musical theater and voice. It was in Boston that he developed a career plan which included auditioning and then being in the very popular show, Rent. To honor his time playing Roger in the touring company of Rent he sang “One Song Glory.” He also told how he practiced doing shows on his own such as Chess. He then sang a very dynamic rendition of a song from that show, “Pity the Child.”
Mr. Maroulis has a longtime working relationship with music writer Frank Wildhorn. He sang “Sarah” from Wildhorn’s show The Civil War and a song from Death Note. Next, he sang a beautiful love song from a new show, Excalibur. Finally, he concluded this segment of the show with a powerful rendition of “This is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde where he played the lead role of the revival of the show both on tour and on Broadway.
Another show that is a special favorite of the singer is Jesus Christ Superstar. He sang “Gethsemane” which was very moving and filled with passion. His voice was absolutely superb bringing the audience to their feet with applause.
On a lighter note, Mr. Maroulis talked about working with Post Modern Jukebox the last few years. He sang Aerosmith’s powerful hit song “Dream On” in a styling used by Post Modern Jukebox at their shows. The versatility he has is evident by doing songs like “Dream On” and then paying tribute to his time on American Idol by singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
His final selection of the night was “Don’t Stop Believin.” This song by the band Journey was a part of the Broadway show Rock of Ages in which he starred and earned one of his two Tony Nominations. It was evident from the audience’s very happy response that they enjoyed hearing the way he combines his love of Broadway songs with rock. He also sang some of his new music, “All About You,” which is slated to be on his upcoming record/album.
Joshua Stephen Kartes accompanied Mr. Maroulis on the piano. Mr. Kartes is an accomplished musician who provides outstanding music. His own devotion to music is evident as he gives strong emphasis to the melodies to bring out the words Mr. Maroulis sings. The rapport between the two works well.
All in all, it was a most enjoyable evening of music at the new Avenel Performing Arts Center. This was my first event at the venue so I have to give high marks to the designers of the concert hall for the acoustics. In speaking with several people, good comments were made about the seating and I can attest to the good leg room!
To read our interview with Constantine Maroulis, click on this link.
To find out more about the very talented performer, visit his website at constantinemaroulis.com.
Photos from Avenel PAC show by K. Dickinson
