Seven Original Rock of Ages Stars Look Back on Boobs, Booze & Backstage Secrets

Stars come and go in a long-running Broadway show—but after six years on the Great White Way, the hit jukebox musical Rock of Ages has seven original cast members who are headbanging their hearts out at the Bourbon Room. Before Rock of Ages rides off into the sunset on January 18, Constantine Maroulis and the Rock legends had one last blowout at Bar Nine in New York City to reminisce about the show's awesome run.


CONSTANTINE MAROULIS
(Drew)

Rock star whose jukebox musical I want to star in next: U2. Well, we tried that with Spider-Man, but let’s do it with their actual catalogue this time.

Post-show booze of choice: A trashy Bud Light Lime, ice cold, is one of the most refreshing things.

Cast member I wanna do a Jell-O shot off of: If I don’t say [girlfriend] Angel Reed, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble.

Best body part I’ve autographed at the stage door: There’s this one girl who is a big fan of rock bands and American Idol, and she has people’s signatures tattooed on her. So I made that one happen, I signed her body and she had it tattooed on. I’ve also autographed a lot of plus-sized breasticles out there.

Biggest backstage secret: There was quite the secret Angel [Reed] and I had been keeping until it broke on Page Six about our baby—but it’s certainly not a secret anymore, she just turned four! But we’re in such close quarters, there are no secrets. A girl can’t even poop backstage without everyone knowing about it.

ROA star with the sickest body: James Carpinello. He takes that home.


MITCHELL JARVIS
(Original Lonny/Current Stacee Jaxx)

Biggest onstage f-up: Once I was gone for a week and I had done the show 600 times at this point, so I didn’t feel like I needed to brush up on anything when I got back. But in the opening sequence, I forgot every line. I just kept walking around...I called for “line” three times. Somehow I stumbled my way through it and got laughed at for the rest of the week.

Cast member I want to do a Jell-O shot off of: Hmm. I’m trying to think who I haven’t done a Jell-O shot off of...

Rock star whose jukebox musical I want to star in next: Funny you should ask, I’ve been trying to develop a Michael Bolton musical called William Shakespeare’s MacBolton, a satirical take on the Scottish play done with Michael Bolton music.

Prop I want to steal when the show is over: The spark maker Waitress #1 gets to carry at the beginning of “The Final Countdown.” It has no practical purpose and yet it’s so menacing, I feel like it would be fun to have.

Post-show booze of choice: Right now it's tequila on the rocks. I'm cutting out the middleman. Maybe one day I'll lose the rocks.

ROA star with the sickest body: James Carpinello. He looks like a super hero and he doesn’t even really work out! And I’m partial because of our history, but Katie Webber’s got the female form of that.


ADAM DANNHEISSER
(Dennis)

Rock star whose jukebox musical I want to star in next: Chris D’Arienzo, who wrote the book for Rock of Ages, is working on a Hall & Oates musical and apparently there’s a role for me if I play my cards right.

Craziest thing that happened during a drunk ROA party: We did these Drunk Broadway videos and we were encouraged to drink nonstop. That was pretty off the hook, as the kids say. Someone in the cast was reprimanded for hanging out a little too long in the bathroom with someone else, let’s just put it that way.

Prop I want to steal after the show is over: My wig. I love wearing it, it makes me feel like a different guy. I’ve learned how to work that thing, and my kids love it.

Best body part I’ve autographed at the stage door: Boobs. Just signed a boob the other day, actually. I don’t understand the idea of signing a boob. What happens the next day? I never experienced that doing Shakespeare.

Post-show booze of choice: I have a train beer because I live in Jersey. We call it “The Broadway Express” because there are a lot of actors who live out in Maplewood and South Orange, and we all have our little paper bags of beer we drink on the way home.

Biggest backstage secret: We’re not actually rock stars. I’m just a neurotic Jew living in the suburbs with two kids. Oh and also, Andre Ward has two extra nipples. He’s got supernumerarys!


ERICKA HUNTER
(Waitress #1)

Cast member I want to do a Jell-O shot off of: Andre Ward. He’s my chocolate lover.

Silliest backstage shenanigans: Anytime I'm near Andre. He and Tessa [Alves] and I sing in the vocal booth for "High Enough" and it's rare that all three of us actually sing the parts because we're laughing so hard.

Biggest backstage secret: Our diets are wine, cheese and peanut butter M&M's.

ROA star with the sickest body: James Carpinello. He takes care of himself.

Costume I want to steal when the show is over: I love my little heart sunglasses. They’re red and really cute. I could probably buy them on St. Mark’s though for four bucks.

Post-show booze of choice: I like Petron tequila straight.


PAUL SCHOEFFLER
(Hertz)

Biggest onstage f-up: The only time we’ve stopped the show was off-Broadway, we had a bunch of Wall Street guys there, and they started crawling onstage to the girls to try to grab them. They refused to go on, so we stopped the show.

Cast member I want to do a Jell-O shot off of: Adam Dannheisser.

Silliest backstage shenanigans: We have a giant rubber penis that made its way around the dressing rooms. It has a suction cup on the end so you can stick it right on a mirror. There’s a lot of skanky shit that happens.

Costume I want to steal when the show is over: Stacee Jaxx’s “F*ck you" belt. My son would be impressed.

Biggest backstage secret: The bathroom is foul. If you went to far eastern Nepal—and I’ve been there—it’s sometimes like that. We’re in a basement, there are no windows, no air circulating. What happens there, stays there.

ROA star with the sickest body: James Carpinello. We all had a secret woody for him.


ANDRE WARD
(Mayor/Ja’Keith Gill)

Craziest thing that happened during a drunk ROA party: I’ve never been drunk at one, but I’ve been at some where lots of people were drunk. Once we all ended up in a bathtub at someone's house. We weren’t naked, just hanging out in there.

Cast member I wanna do a Jell-O shot off of: Oh, there’s a couple. Katie Webber, James Carpinello...and I would do one off of Ericka’s butt.

Biggest backstage secret: At the Helen Hayes, none of the walls in the dressing rooms go all the way up to the ceiling, so you can hear everyone's conversations. We write all the best quotes on the walls.

Costume I want to steal when the show is over: My thrashin’ pizza hat.

ROA star with the sickest body: James Carpinello's body is ridiculous. His abs, his pecs, his arms...he worked really hard. He would take his shirt off and I was like, “Oh my goodness. I could wash clothes on your abs.”

Silliest backstage shananigans: There’s this dildo that lives backstage. I call it the “Equity cock.” People have been known to get slapped with the cock...and I have been one of those people.


MICHAEL MINARIK
(Swing)

Biggest onstage f-up: My second time going on as Lonny, Adam Dannheisser and I were in our dressing room and he turned off the monitor because he’d been in it for so long. Then I hear from the stage manager, “Michael Minarik, you’re wanted onstage.” The band started playing some Led Zeppelin because they had nothing else to do. I cried when I got offstage. It was disgustingly awful.

Cast member I wanna do a Jell-O shot off of: Andre Ward. My wife’s gonna like that.

Rock star whose jukebox musical I want to star in next: I’d love to do an Eminem show. His lyrics are sick and his story is amazing, from down-and-out Detroit guy to badass rapper.

Post-show drink of choice: They always make me a non-alcoholic beverage, some sort of virgin drink. I love cranberry juice and ginger ale. I’m a really wild person.

Costume I want to steal when the show is over: I already took my belt from the 2009 Tony Awards. I’m not the most rock human being in the world, so I wear it underneath my suits to feel a little rock-ish. It’s pink and silver and says “F*ck grandma” or something, it’s absolutely amazing.

ROA star with the sickest body: Mig Ayesa. He’s the most jacked human being in the entire world and he eats like shit.