Actor-Singer Hugh Panaro (Man Without a Mask): “Darling, There Are Six Moments When You Have To Be Thinking With Your C@#k”

DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley

Dennis is joined via Zoom by Broadway veteran Hugh Panaro to talk about his album and cabaret show Man Without a Mask, which is playing in Los Angeles on December 5th at the Catalina Jazz Club. Hugh talks about making the leap to recording and doing his own cabaret show after years of appearing on Broadway and on the West End in shows like Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd and Phantom of the Opera, in which he logged over 2500 performances as the Phantom. In regards to that show, Hugh talks about the mask itself, what it's made of, how it's maintained and how he feels about it. He also talks about working on Phantom with Hal Prince and choreographer Gillian Lynne who gave him very explicit instructions on how to sex-up the song "Music of the Night." Hugh also talks about discovering he could sing after playing the organ in church and then finding a home in musical theater as a chubby, artsy kid who often got bullied in school. Other topics include: getting to tour Europe and share gelato with Barbra Streisand, appearing in the late 90's gay rom-com movie Broadway Damage, surviving Broadway flops like Lestat and The Red Shoes, meeting Dr. Ruth after a show, the healing power of music and how most people on Broadway are genuinely nice people...except for that one unnamed diva who literally slapped her dresser for giving her the wrong leg panty hose first.