He won fame on TV but found a home on Broadway
NEW YORK — Fourteen years ago, with 23 million people watching, Justin Guarini came achingly close to superstardom.
Guarini, with his mop of curls and a taste for flamboyant, ’70s-style shirts, had given up his dream of starring on Broadway to try to become the first “American Idol” in 2002.
It was not to be. He ended up the runner-up to Kelly Clarkson. The bright TV lights went dark and the personal assistants scattered.