Back in May, Constantine was the host for the evening’s events at the 2008 - 2009 Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund Gala. Some photos have been posted on the HTSF website including this one with Alexis Christoforous, MarketWatch correspondent and anchor for CBS Newspath.
Constantine was featured at the Mattison Park After Party on Sunday, June 21. The event was part of the 3 day music festival called the Wave Gathering which was held at various locations in Asbury Park, NJ.
I guess I could call Constantine’s appearance that night the Midnight Special! Accompanied by Ben Phillips on guitar, Constantine sang beautifully to a very appreciative audience.
The set list included:
Child, You’re the Revolution
Several Thousand
Right to My Head
T-Shirt Song
Fading into You
Living on a Prayer
Dead or Alive
So Long
Girl Like You
Hallelujah
Midnight Radio
Today will be the final two performances of the Premier Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar in which Constantine portrayed the role of Judas. The show had a 10 performance run which began on June 13th at the Henderson Theater in Lincroft, NJ.
I went on opening night and was pleasantly surprised. Why that? Well normally, opening night, particularly when there have been no preview shows, is one where little slips and mistakes occur. And a theater goer as regular as myself is willing to overlook them. But that was not the case with this production. The cast and the musicians were in fine form and gave a wonderful and memorable performance. It was a true pleasure going to this show. I have since returned to see the show and was similarly pleased with what I saw. In fact, last Saturday’s show had an energy to it that shows how the company had worked to improve on what was already a good performance.
The set was sparse but it lent itself beautifully to the actions that took place on stage. Having stairs and ramps and different levels allowed the performers to show scenes taking place and movement to and from the problems developing on the stage.
I truly enjoyed the entire cast and I think the casting was well done. And I do want to mention a few that were in lead parts.
Joseph Russo played a Jesus who is both vulnerable and strong. His voice is a gift to listen to. Sections of the JCS score involve notes that are quite a pull on a male voice, but Joseph smoothed them and made them more easy to listen to than I have heard in some other productions. He has a terrific vocal range that was well used and a wonderful stage presence.
Tara Beams played Mary Magdaline. Her voice is nicely trained and well in control. When she sang “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” at last Saturday’s show, I listened with new interest to a song I have heard many times. Her vocal range and smooth adaptation of difficult note runs added so much to the character she was playing. Tara is a fine actress and singer.
And then of course, there was Constantine. I must admit that his portrayal of Judas made me look at this man who I learned years ago betrayed the Son of God in a very different light. Watching him descend into the depths of his sad demise was very intense. Constantine was totally in character every second of the show. Watching his character struggle with what he thought he should do and with what he felt he had been willed to do was heart wrenching.
Constantine’s interpretation of the songs and his acting all combined to make Judas’ confusion and despair tragic to watch. When he accepted the 30 pieces of silver, so torn is the man that I had to hold myself back from yelling out “don’t do it.” It seemed like it was happening for the first time right in front of my eyes rather than over 2,000 years ago. Constantine has that acting ability to transform the audience from viewers of a show to actual participants in the moment. I felt the tears welling in my eyes during “Judas’ Death” as he sings “my mind is in darkness now.” He is on his knees seeking some form of consolation but we know there is no turning back. As Judas prepared to hang himself, the true recognition of his role in Jesus’ death was brilliantly displayed by Constantine acting/singing in the role. His singing voice was perfect for the storytelling aspects of “Heaven on Their Minds” as well as the pathos that ensues in later scenes. He, too, brings a fullness to the songs so that the difficulty of singing certain measures is very pleasing to hear.
Thankfully, the play ends on a joyous note and Constantine is dressed in modern day clothing as he leads the cast in the closing song “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Constantine’s unique personality as a performer came out very well during this song. It was a great way to end the show.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding orchestra that played throughout the entire show. There were guitars, drums, horns, wind instruments. Hope I didn’t miss any part because truly they did a great job all evening.
To the wonderful cast of this show - Thank You! Thank You! Bravo and brava!
To Constantine - Thank You! Thank You! Bravo - what a show!
On Monday, June 9, Constantine served as a celebrity judge for auditions to select children to sing at the U.S. Open. The event was held at Radio City Music Hall. This article appeared in the Daily News:
Tennis ‘Idols’ come up aces for the Open
Tuesday, June 10th 2008, 4:00 AM
Pint-size would-be “American Idols” started lining up at 6 a.m. yesterday to audition for the chance to sing at the U.S. Open this summer.
One by one, about 200 kids - all of them younger than 12 - piped their a cappella version of “America the Beautiful” for the celebrity judges.
Long Island sixth-grader Gaetano D’Auria-Gupta said he wasn’t nervous at all during the three hours he waited to go on, hanging out and making friends with the other youthful singers at Radio City Music Hall. Then his name was called.
“Then my nerves started racking,” he said. “I got real nervous.”
He needn’t have worried.
The judges said they were blown away by Gaetano, who auditioned with his four brothers, who include a set of triplets. “They were all like art pieces,” said judge Laura Bell Bundy, star of Broadway’s “Legally Blonde.”
“Oh, they were so cute. I asked them to sing together and they came out with a five-part harmony.”
Her fellow judges - season four “American Idol” contestant Constantine Maroulis and MTV veejay Susie Castillo - also raved about the brothers.
The U.S. Tennis Association will announce who was chosen for a singing spot at the U.S. Open next month.
While all of the kids sang to win, not all of them wanted to be famous singers when they grow up. “I want to be President!” said Brooklyn’s Gabriela Kralik, 7. Her sister, 9-year-old Sandra Kralik, is considering curing breast cancer.
Their father, Radek Kralik, said he brought his daughters to the auditions because he saw how much they sing in the mirror.
Constantine was also interviewed on the CW11 morning news outside of Radio City.
Almost Queen is a terrific band that covers the legendary group Queen’s songs. Led by Joe Russo who does an amazing portrayal of Freddie Mercury, the band is high energy, strong musically and vocally, and lots of fun to watch. They performed at Starland Ballroom this past Friday, June 6.
The crowd was very large and really got into the show. There was a wide range of ages there. The enthusiasm the crowd had for this group and the show was fabulous. The excitement was absolutely contagious.
Joe Russo will be playing the role of Jesus in the upcoming production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in which Constantine is playing Judas.
About half way through Friday night’s show, Joe mentioned that he had some guests who would be coming out on stage towards the end of the show.
The first guests were the cast of JCS. They came onstage and sang backup on “Need Somebody to Love.” Joe said they had practiced the song after rehearsal and they did sound good.
After a few more songs, the mood shifted and the opening strains of Bohemian Rhapsody were heard. That was all it took to have the crowd start to shift positions. I had a pretty good spot in the center and about 5 rows of people back, but all of sudden, there were a lot more people trying to get ahead of me!
Joe and the band started the song and then he introduced Constantine. As he took the stage, the excitement in the air was evident. As he sang, people really got into the song.
And he really got into the song.
Good guitar playing in the middle of the song gave me a chance to snap this nice photo of Constantine as he stood still for a second.
“So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?”
Lots of chills down my spine as I listened to him sing and then join in with Joe.
Loud cheers of appreciation were heard from the crowd as the closing notes of the song played. It was quite a night at Starland Ballroom.
Thanks to taffy for the screencap of Joe and Constantine taken from Cal33’s video.
Constantine was a guest on the Shawn and Sue Show today at radio station 92.7 in Ocean County, New Jersey. Constantine appeared to promote “Jesus Christ, Superstar” which starts a week from today.
This was a nice interview with many funny moments.
Constantine also answered questions that fans had e-mailed in.
More pictures are available at the 92.7 WOMB-FM website. Audio of the interview can also be found there.
Thanks go to Sue and Shawn for a nice interview with Constantine this morning.
Yesterday, an article on Broadway World announced that Constantine will be a guest star with Broadway Radio in their upcoming Town Hall Show entitled The Radio Hits of 1958.
‘Idol’ Constantine To Guest Star At Radio Broadway, 6/30
Thursday, June 5, 2008; Posted: 3:37 PM - by BWW News DeskRadio Broadway has just announced that American Idol star Contstantine Maroulis will be guest starring at “The Hits of 1958″ which will be presented at The Town Hall on Monday, June 30 at 8 p.m.
This event will mark the debut performance of Radio Broadway, a new concert company dedicated to presenting “the greatest hits of all time by the greatest singers of our time.”
The show will feature a cast of today’s finest Broadway talent performing songs that topped the Billboard charts in the year 1958. Principal singers will include Max von Essen (Dance Of The Vampires, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables), Jennifer Hope Wills (The Phantom Of The Opera, Wonderful Town, The Woman In White), Nancy Anderson (Wonderful Town, A Class Act), John Treacy Egan (The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde, The Little Mermaid), and LAWRENCE CLAYTON (The Civil War, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dreamgirls) with additional stars to be announced shortly.
The evening will be hosted by Raymond Jaramillo McLeod (Drama Desk Award nominee – Wonderful Town), with direction by DEBORAH KYM and musical direction by DAVID KEYES.
Presented in the spirit of American Bandstand, complete with back-up singers, dancers and live band, this brand-new concert event will be a fun and energetic journey back to yesteryear that is sure to shake your bones and rattle your brains. Songs will include “Yakety Yak,” “Who’s Sorry Now,” “At The Hop,” “Great Balls of Fire,” Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and many more.
Tickets, priced $40 and up, are available at The Town Hall box office or through TicketMaster by calling (866) 448-7849. The Town Hall box office is open from 12:00-6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The $200 “VIP” tickets include premium seating and a private cocktail reception with the stars following the show.
The Town Hall is located in Manhattan at 123 West 43rd Street between Broadway and Avenue of the Americas. Nearest subways are as follows: 1, 2, 3 - Times Square-42nd Street (7th Ave.-Broadway). A, C, E - 42nd Street-Port Authority (8th Avenue). B, D, F, V - 42nd Street-Brant Park (6th Avenue). N, Q, R, W - Times Square-42nd Street (Broadway). 7 & S - Times Square-42nd Street (Broadway-7th Avenue).
Radio Broadway was co-founded by Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, Deborah Kym and David Weitzer. Following the June 30 premiere, the company plans to present various incarnations of the show – featuring a variety of Broadway stars and radio hit songs spanning all decades – in venues throughout the country.
BroadwayWorld.com is the official media sponsor of Radio Broadway.
The website for Radio Broadway is www.radiobroadwaylive.com.
Constantine was a guest at radio station 94.3 The Point on the Liz and Lou show on Thursday, June 5th to promote his upcoming run in “Jesus Christ Superstar” with the Premier Theatre. This morning show is broadcast in the Monmouth and Ocean County areas of New Jersey.
While on the air, Constantine discussed a number of items including his upcoming role as Judas as well as other projects on his agenda like shooting tv pilots including one that he will be filming this weekend.
While there, Constantine also met MSPCA’s Ursula Goetz and the Pet of the Week, a sweet little 2 year dog named Julliette available for adoption through the Monmouth County SPCA.
More pictures of Constantine on the Liz and Lou Show are available on the station’s website. Audio of the interview might be available on the website as well.
Constantine will perform the role of Judas in the rock musical “Jesus Christ, Superstar” with the Premier Theatre Company this June.
The shows will take place at the Henderson Theater in Lincroft, New Jeresey from June 13 - June 28.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It tells the story of the last days of Christ in a truly unique and powerful way.
Constantine has performed the roles of both Judas and Jesus previous to this. His portrayal of Judas includes the powerful song “Heaven on Their Minds.” This is a must see for Constantine fans.
Tickets are available at through The Premier Theater Company website.
Constantine performed an acoustic show at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles on May 6. He was accompanied by Ben Phillips on the guitar and Robin DiMaggio on drums. Gina Glocksen, American Idol alum from Season 6 joined Constantine onstage and sang two songs.
The setlist included:
Thanks go to Vicky for that nice picture of Constantine in action on stage!
