Next Stop: Broadway! Top 5 Roles Josh Groban Should Portray in His Debut

If you're a famous singer who wants to be on Broadway, what's the best way to make your desires known? Star in an in-concert musical, duh. And what if the Broadway Gods and/or producers don't get the hint? Release an album of all-Broadway covers! Or at least, that's what Josh Groban did.

After the release of his album, "Stages," which might as well have been renamed, "Josh Groban's Hour-Long Audition for [Name-That-Broadway-Show]," I think it's safe to say that he wants to be on Broadway. REALLY badly. But this album covers many different shows/roles, so which one does Groban really want to play? Of course, no big decisions like this can be made without first consulting the Magical Broadway Casting Committee that presides from on high, a.k.a., the BroadwayWorld readers. I discovered that everyone and their mother has feelings about this topic, thus there were way too many social media comments to post in this article.

So check out the highlights of our most recent reader question: In which role should Josh Groban make his Broadway debut?

Darby Browne: Javert! He would kill it and I would love to hear him sing stars.

Fern Schlesinger: Monty from "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder", Valjean in "Les Miz", and from musicals I'd like to see come back to Broadway I think he'd be great as Archibald Craven from "The Secret Garden" and either Lumiere or the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast

Ellyn Otterson: Lancelot - Camelot.

Johnny Tidrick: The first best choice would be something new written for him. However, he would likely be a pretty good Harold Hill in Music Man.

Olivia Hebblewhite: Either Marius or Jean valjean in Les mis or fiyero or boq in wicked

Teresa Reifsteck: Either Sweeney Todd or the phantom

Miguel Ángel Espinosa: Stephen Ward.

Miranda Stacy: Bring Beauty and The Beast just for him to be the Beast.

Kristina Baron-Woods: Archibald in Secret Garden - aren't we due for a revival of that soon? Tommy in Brigadoon, Harold Hill perhaps, Che...

Gigi Woods: Tony in west side story

John Alecca: Don Quixote

Gene Cooper: Hedwig

Cobi Tadros: Maybe Jesus in Godspell.

Jennifer Brown: Raoul in phantom or Anatoly in a chess revival

Howard Green: A role that's written exclusively for him!

Brian Lipensky: Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol if it ever returns. Scrooge has several solo moments in songs throughout the musical. Or he can play one of the 2 Ghosts of Christmas who also have solo songs that are very good.

Robin Arora: Josh should be Phantom and Jackie Evancho should be Christine

Alan Wilson: Something classic....Billy Big|Brave elow in Carousel.....

Javier Martínez: Phantom or Jean Valjean

Katharine Heaton: Raoul

[Interjection! About a million and one readers suggested Raoul, however, Ms. Heaton was the first to make the suggestion using the correct spelling. Kudos to you!]

@374d62bc7b4c4ab: Captain Von Trapp!

@ETedenlid: How about Berger in Hair

@ghostboobz: *whispers* galinda in wicked

And I do have to give a shout-out to our witty naysayers:

Kieran Gettel-Gilmartin: Audience member

Justin Gallagher: None: The Musical

Check out my personal top five list for Josh Groban!

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Chris, MISS SAIGON

Big solo: "Why God Why?"

First of all, this Boublil/Schonberg musical is definitely due for a Broadway revival, which really might happen since it's being revived on the West End now. Secondly, Chris is definitely in Groban's vocal range, and I would love to hear him sing these songs.

Check out this clip of Ramin Karimloo (Current Jean Valjean in LES MIS) singing "Why God Why?"

Freddy, MY FAIR LADY

Big solo: "On the Street Where You Live"

I've always felt pretty sorry for Freddy, because despite being an adorable romantic, Eliza totally ditches him for an older man who, by the way, can't even really sing. I literally don't know what she was thinking. At any rate, I would love to hear Groban sing "On the Street Where You Live." And maybe this revival can have an alternate ending where Freddy gets the girl and they sing a duet together... Ya know, cuz he can actually sing. Please, Cameron Mackintosh? I can already hear Lerner and Lowe turning over in their graves.

Watch this video of Patrick Wilson performing the lovely song at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001!

Anatoly, CHESS

Big solo: "Anthem"

This role is a bit larger than the ones previously mentioned, but I had to include it on my list, if only because Groban has been pretty un-subtle about his desire to play this particular role on Broadway. He portrayed "The Russian" in a concert performance of CHESS in 2009, opposite Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal.

Watch Groban perform "Anthem," which he also recorded for "Stages."

Marius, LES MISERABLES

Big solo: "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"

Bless his heart, Marius is a sweet, lovely role, but again, not a whole lot of groundbreaking acting going on with him. So though he is getting a little old to play it, I think Groban's voice would be well-suited to the young revolutionary. And OH HEY, it's playing on Broadway right now! How convenient! #stepasidechrismccarrell

Check out his version of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" below!

Lt. Cable, SOUTH PACIFIC

Big solo: "Younger Than Springtime"

Y'ALL. Lt. Cable has always been one of my favorite musical theatre characters (although, I liked him a little less when I became old enough to actually understand his entire plot line). Before he was overacting and wearing too much hair product in GLEE, Matthew Morrison portrayed this role beautifully in the 2008 revival. So it's definitely not due for a revival, but in our theoretical world where Audra McDonald and I are besties and WICKED won the Tony, Josh Groban can play Cable on Broadway and make us all swoon every night with his rendition of "Younger Than Springtime."

Watch Matthew Morrison's lovely performance of the song!

Raoul, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Big solo: None

There was overwhelming reader support for Groban to play either Raoul or the Phantom, and while Raoul was on my original list, to the Phantom advocates, I say, "LOL." While, bless his heart, Raoul doesn't get a solo (really, Andrew? In all 5 hours of this show, you couldn't have given Raoul his own song?), he does perform the lovely "All I Ask of You" with Christine. I'm betting Raoul is on Groban's short list of desired roles, considering he recorded the aforementioned duet on his album, "Stages," with none other than Kelly Clarkson. In fact, he performed it live with Sierra Boggess recently (click here to watch the video!).

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Josh Groban has no definite Broadway plans as of yet, though he will be making an appearance on Broadway's biggest night, the Tony Awards. What do you want to hear him sing at Sunday night's ceremony?

Follow Sally and her dream-casting tendencies on Twitter: @BwayGinger

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