In an interview with AJC.com, the acclaimed singer said, "I’ve always been saying yes [I'll appear on Broadway] …soon. My fans assume it’s a stock answer. I’ve been so honored to be friendly with the Broadway community for so many years and have had incredible offers. But truly it’s been about the time constraints, both creatively and contractually, to have the time and the head space to give it everything I’d want to give it. Truth be told, I have cleared the board and made it apparent that 2016 is the time for me to make that leap. It’s the first time in my career that I’ve forced the issue and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ If it doesn’t happen in 2016, then I’m just a chicken."
Groban has appeared in New York and London concert versions of the pop musical Chess. When asked whether he and lyricist Tim Rice are still considering a revival of the short-lived Broadway musical, Groban said, "We’ll have our cup of tea when I’m in London. We have a fondness for ‘Chess’ and it’s one of those shows that we both feel deserves a kicking shot. The music is so brilliant, it’s extraordinary. You see shows that come and go over a decade and some are hits and some are not. But sometimes what makes it a hit comes down to, ‘Did the public wake up on the right side of the bed at that moment in time?’ And ‘Chess’ needs some fixing for sure, but the music is timeless. It’s a monster of a show, from a musical standpoint, and a vocal standpoint. But we look at it and it’s an exciting thing.”
"Stages," which was released in April by Reprise Records, features three duets: Kelly Clarkson is featured on "All I Ask of You" ("she can, quite simply, do anything"); Audra McDonald sings on "If I Loved You" ("in my head I heard her on this and to sing it in the room with her was a dream come true"); and trumpeter Chris Botti plays on "Old Devil Moon" ("he plays with such control and expressiveness").
Listen to Groban's duets with Clarkson and McDonald here.
The track listing follows: "Pure Imagination" (from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory)
"What I Did For Love" (from A Chorus Line)
"Bring Him Home" (from Les Misérables)
"Le Temps Des Cathédrales" (from Notre Dame de Paris)
"All I Ask Of You" (from The Phantom of the Opera) (feat. Kelly Clarkson)
"Try To Remember" (from The Fantasticks)
"Over the Rainbow" (from The Wizard of Oz)
"Children Will Listen"/"Not While I'm Around" (from Sweeney Todd/Into the Woods)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" (from Carousel)
"Old Devil Moon" (from Finian's Rainbow) (feat. Chris Botti)
"Finishing the Hat" (from Sunday in the Park with George)
"If I Loved You" (from Carousel) (feat. Audra McDonald)
"Anthem" (from Chess)
