Josh Groban recalls being bullied for his early interest in musical theatre

TORONTO – Josh Groban was barely 10 when his parents ignited his love of musical theatre, needing only a VHS copy of “Sunday in the Park with George” and a ticket to “Cats.”

If only the kids at school had been so supportive.

“Something happens in that summer between sixth and seventh grades where kids all of a sudden grow way the hell up or not at all,” Groban reminisced during a recent interview in Toronto.

“You have in seventh grade this half and half of mini-adults who are kissing girls and trying cigarettes, and then you’ve got people who are still literally children. I was 13 going on 10, basically. I was shy and sensitive and was not playing on the football team, so yeah, it was hard for me to make friends.

“Music was my way of building confidence,” he added. “I made a lot of friends that way, but any time you stick your neck out and decide to be different, you’re going to have people who are going to respond to that.

“And usually if people see something they don’t understand or they’re not intelligent enough to understand, the first response is going to be negative.”

But thanks to the unwavering enthusiasm of his teachers and parents, Groban’s appreciation for musical theatre endured — and now, the Grammy nominee has celebrated his 25-year love affair with Broadway with the recently released “Stages.”

Already certified gold in Canada, the record finds the 34-year-old interpreting stage standards both broadly famous (“Over the Rainbow,” “Pure Imagination”) and not (“Finishing the Hat” from “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Anthem” from “Chess”).

Groban is hardly the first prospector to search for gold in “Rainbow,” and knowing that much of the planet was at least faintly familiar with certain selections only increased the pressure to deliver.

“As my own harshest critic, there were times where I was in the studio and of course, everyone’s going: ‘Josh, you’ve gotta do “Pure Imagination” and “Over the Rainbow.”‘

“And I’m going, do I? Do I HAVE to?

“(But) part of it was just having the confidence to say, ‘OK, I’m going to do it as me and put my stamp on it.’”

Groban’s flirtation with Broadway became mutual during the recent Tony Awards.

On hand to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” during the In Memoriam segment, the singer was a frequent subject of onstage banter by hosts Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth.

To put it lightly, Groban was not anticipating that.

“I was shocked. No idea. No clue,” he said. “I was actually pretty embarrassed by it. I mean, I think Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming are phenomenal people and phenomenal talents and … they did a wonderful job.

“But I’m sitting there and every time Alan said my name, I thought: ‘You know I’m doing the In Memoriam, right? That I’m not going out there with can-can dancers? You know I’m going to be the downer of the show? You’re setting me up to fail here, buddy!’”

Still, a “terribly nervous” Groban had a “wonderful” time.

He notes that he one day hopes to “join forces” with Broadway in an “official” way.

Certainly, Groban can sing, and he’s dabbled in acting.

So, can he dance?

“I can’t,” he conceded. “I don’t know what it is — maybe just one winter formal too many that went terribly wrong.

“But for the right show, I would certainly give it my all. If some of these people who are on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ can learn a few moves, then certainly I can too.”

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