From left: James Monroe Iglehart, Justin Guarini, Ramin Karimloo and Lena Hall performed at Celebrity Karaoke as part of New York Super Week.
Credit: Getty Images
This weekend is New York Comic Con, and leading up to it are dozens of nerdy events throughout the city for the inaugural Super Week. We went backstage at Celebrity Karaoke — which took place on Monday night at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square — and asked the Broadway stars there to share their inner nerd.
Read what they had to say about their imaginary lives as comic book characters. (Hint: They’d pretty much all need to move to Gotham.)
James Monroe Iglehart, Genie in “Aladdin”
Credit: Getty Images
If you woke up tomorrow with superpowers, would you become a hero or villain?
Hero
If you could play any comic book character in a movie, regardless of age or gender, who would you want to play?
Wow, that’s hard. I’ve gotta go with my favorite hero ever, I’ve gotta go with Batman.
In real life, if you could choose a power, what would it be?
I wish I were telekinetic —then I could move things around. I could make the remote control come to me, I could make doors open. I wouldn’t have to get up that much.
Ramin Karimloo, Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables”
Credit: Getty Images
If you woke up tomorrow with superpowers, would you become a hero or villain?
I’d like to be a superhero, so that I wouldn’t have to seek retribution or revenge on anyone.
If you could play any comic book character in a movie, regardless of age or gender, who would you want to play?
Superman or Batman would be cool, I like the strength they’ve got. But I’m attracted to the villains: Joker and Bane. If I had to choose, I’d say Batman.
In real life, if you could choose a power, what would it be?
Teleportation – speed up my journeys, what I could do with my time, see my kids more.
Justin Guarini, Fiyero in “Wicked”
Credit: Getty Images
If you woke up tomorrow with superpowers, would you become a hero or villain?
Oh man. I’ll pick a villain, because it’s so contrary to my nature.
If you could play any comic book character in a movie, regardless of age or gender, who would you want to play?
My favorite villain of all time is the Joker. The fact that Jack Nicholson played him so well, I would absolutely love to play him. And the fact that he gets to hang out with Harley Quinn? Always a plus.
In real life, if you could choose a power, what would it be?
If I had a superpower, I wish I could fly. It would make my commute a lot easier.
Lena Hall, Yitzhak in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Credit: Getty Images
If you woke up tomorrow with superpowers, would you become a hero or villain?
I’d be an antihero – you know what I mean? The one that tries to be bad but everyone likes them; they’re good but not all the way good. Like Catwoman, she’s not necessarily good, but she’s not necessarily bad either.
If you could play any comic book character in a movie, regardless of age or gender, who would you want to play?
Harley Quinn.
In real life, if you could choose a power, what would it be?
I think I would have the superpower to stop time. Then I could stop my boyfriend from arguing with me. I could be like “whatever” and leave. Or, I saw recently in the newest “X-Men” movie – the guy who can run very fast. I would want that —he kind of stops time, he’s so fast. But that way you can still stay in shape. And I’d get to work very fast. It’s almost like teleportation. But it burns calories, so you don’t have to work out, but you won’t get portly. [Laughs] You won’t get teleportly.
For more theater news and reviews, follow T. Michelle Murphy on Twitter: @TMichelleMurphy.
