"American Idol" was not the end of the road for some finalists like Constantine Maroulis, Josh Strickland, and Diana DeGarmo.

Recently these "American Idol" contestants have been making their mark outside of television and making a name for themselves on Broadway in shows such as "Hairspray," "The Wedding Singer" and "Tarzan."

Last weekend a group of Sacred Heart students went to New York to see "The Wedding Singer" first hand, and to see how Constantine was doing with his new job.

"I loved the music and found the show to be really funny. I thought Constantine did a good job, he made me laugh," said Lindsay Wallace, senior, Mansfield, Mass.

Broadway is fertile ground for American Idol alumni Diana Degarmo, who signed onto "Hairspray" from September to February, and Constantine Maroulis, who signed on for an eight week run in "The Wedding Singer."

Degarmo appeared on American Idol's third season of the show and Maroulis appeared on the fifth season. Neither of the two won the vocal competition but that hasn't stopped these song birds at all.

Degarmo was the youngest finalist in 2004 on "American Idol." Her age didn't stop the world from loving her though. Her voice not only carried her way to the finals but also helped her aquire the role as "Hairspray's" Penny Pingleton, who will be portrayed by Amanda Bines in the upcoming movie version of the musical.

Josh Strickland has found his biggest claim to fame with the star role in the show "Tarzan." Although Strickland never made it as far as the other finalists, he has made the biggest splash on Broadway by swinging into the title role.

The musical "The Wedding Singer" is similar to the movie, which starred Adam Sandler. Constantine plays the best friend of character Robbie Hart, named Sammy. However, this is not the first time that Constantine appeared in theatre productions, he starred as Roger in the touring production of "Rent."

Can these American Idol finalists deal with the transition from being on reality television to Broadway theatre?

"['The Wedding Singer'] was a cute show. I wouldn't just randomly buy tickets and go see it. I bought the tickets because of the student discount here at SHU. As for Constantine and his performance, I was impressed," said Aisha Lubin, senior, Brockton, Mass.

Starring in a Broadway musical is very different from the reality television show "American Idol." These "Idol" finalists will now have to deal with the vigorous schedules of eight performances per week as the same character. That is something they haven't really dealt with in the past.

On "American Idol" their fate was left the voting American people week afterweek. On Broadway, their fate is based upon their talent and how well they mesh with the other actors, not to mention box-office receipts. They need to perform well so they draw in a crowd. No one is there to vote for them week by week and the critics get to say whatever they feel.

Can the American Idol alums work the crowd?

" I was really surprised that Constantine was such a good actor, I didn't expect it from him even though I knew he had a good voice," said Erin Silke, senior, Manalapan New Jersey. "More SHU students should take advantage of the cheap student rates that we get by going through the school."

Singing to mass audiences was where these young singers started making names for themselves. Now, DeGarmo, Maroulis and Strickland are on stage in New York theatres playing roles of all different characters and still doing what they love most: singing.