Some of us were well aware of Constantine Maroulis well before he became a stand-out contestant on the fourth season of “American Idol.” That’s because he played Roger in a national non-Equity tour of “Rent” that played New Haven in 2004. Maroulis was in a band at the time called Pray for the Soul of Betty, and they arranged to play the nearby club Cafe Nine while “Rent” was at the Shubert.
Maroulis finished in sixth place on “American Idol” but distinguished himself as one of the first contestants to fully embrace rock music styles. He’s since carved out a career in rock-based musicals, including “The Wedding Singer,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and especially “Rock of Ages.” In 2012 he starred in a revival of Frank Wildhorn’s musical “Jekyll and Hyde.”
Maroulis has a new solo album in the works, his first since 2007. He’s already released two singles from it: “Here I Come” and “She’s Just Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Maroulis is doing a concert at 8 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge. The opening act is folk singer and songwriter Brian Dunne. $42. 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
