New Kids on the Block's Joey McIntyre on Joining 'Waitress' & His Lifelong Love of Musical Theater

As a member of uber-boy band New Kids on the Block, Joey McIntyre was often confined to one role: the blue-eyed heartthrob and falsetto-voiced baby of the group. But in the years since NKOTB's heyday, McIntyre has expanded his repertoire significantly -- through the world of Broadway and musical theater.

Over the past 20 years, celebrity appearances in Broadway shows have become commonplace, but McIntyre's dedication to theater is still uncommon: yes, he stepped in as Fiyero in Wicked (following role originator Norbert Leo Butz) but he's also performed off-Broadway in Jonathan Larson's tick...tick...BOOM!, in Los Angeles (most recently in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), and way, way off-Broadway (Cabaret in Alaska!). 

Now, McIntyre has moved to New York in the hopes of making more regular appearances in theater here, and he's kicking things off in a big way: on Feb. 4, he'll start a run as Dr. Pomatter, the OB-GYN love interest of protagonist Jenna in Sara Bareilles' hit musical Waitress.  In the midst of rehearsals, McIntyre called into the Billboard on Broadway podcast to chat with host Rebecca Milzoff about returning to Broadway after more than a decade, the far-flung places he's performed, and the kinds of roles he's dying to play in the future.