Life and career

Panaro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 and resided in the East Oak Lane section of the city with his family. As a schoolchild, he attended St. Helena’s parochial school in the adjoining Philadelphia neighborhood of Olney. He played organ for the parish church from age twelve. Panaro graduated from La Salle College High School

La Salle College High School

La Salle College High School founded in 1858 is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys located in Wyndmoor, a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, outside Philadelphia. The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian...

, Class of 1982, in Springfield (Montgomery County), Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philaldelphia.

Having a love for animals since childhood, he considered becoming a veterinarian, an ambition which was never fulfilled as he fell in love with theater after having seen his first Broadway musical, starring fellow Philadelphian Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for playing Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, as well as for her alto range and strong vocal belt.-Career:She was born in Philadelphia...

, as an adolescent. Hugh appeared in high school productions of Godspell

Godspell

Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...

and Pippin

Pippin

Pippin, Peppin, and Pepin are variants of a single Frankish given name. It was the name of several important figures in the Carolingian family that ruled the Frankish Empire in what is now France and the western parts of Germany in the Middle Ages:* Pepin of Landen, nicknamed the Elder, sometimes...

, as well as numerous regional and dinner theater productions throughout his teen years; with his first stage role being Friedrich in The Sound of Music. He began performing at the age of 13 and studied voice with Robert Grooters at the Boyer College of Music and Dance

Boyer College of Music and Dance

The Boyer College of Music and Dance is the music school at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Boyer College of Music and Dance is the music school at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college includes the Boyer College of Music, founded in 1962, and the Temple...

 at Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

.

His pre-Broadway and regional roles include Mary Sunshine in Chicago, and the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...

. He made his Broadway debut as Marius in Les Misérables

Les Misérables (musical)

Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

, a role he originated in the first U.S. national touring company. Hugh created the roles of Buddy in Side Show

Side Show

Side Show is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show was written by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger . The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy...

and Julian in Jule Styne

Jule Styne

Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...

's last musical, The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes (musical)

The Red Shoes is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman, lyrics by Norman and Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne...

. He made his West End

West End theatre

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

 debut in the original London company of Harold Prince's Show Boat

Show Boat

Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...

as Ravenal, the role he played on Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 and in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

.
At Avery Fisher Hall

Avery Fisher Hall

Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...

, he performed with the Radio City Rockettes in Jerry Herman

Jerry Herman

Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...

's Mack and Mabel and also in The Stephen Sondheim Gala, the culmination of the Kennedy Center's "Summer of Sondheim," where Hugh played Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd (musical)

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....

. In Los Angeles, Hugh played Franklin Shepard in Merrily We Roll Along

Merrily We Roll Along (musical)

Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....

and received an Ovation Award nomination for his performance as Kenneth in Call Me Madam

Call Me Madam

Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed...

, both for Reprise!. As a concert artist, Hugh has performed with symphony orchestras across the U.S. and abroad and can be heard on numerous recordings. He is one of the few actors to play both the roles of Raoul (1991) and the Phantom (1999) in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

, but after wearing the mask for only a few months, he left to play the title role in the American premiere of Sir Cameron Mackintosh

Cameron Mackintosh

Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...

's Martin Guerre

Martin Guerre (musical)

Martin Guerre is a two-act musical with a book by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Stephen Clark, and music by Claude-Michel Schönberg....

. Panaro returned to play the title role at the Majestic Theatre's production of Phantom

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

until October 1, 2005. In late 2005 he created the title role in the Elton John

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

 musical, Lestat

Lestat (musical)

Lestat is a Broadway musical inspired by Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. The score is by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, book by Linda Woolverton and directed by Robert Jess Roth with musical staging by Matt West...

. At Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre

5th Avenue Theatre

The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...

, he performed leading roles in two Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...

 musicals: Bobby in Company, and George in Sunday In The Park With George

Sunday in the Park with George

Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...

 (the later a recreation of the Menier Chocolate Factory

Menier Chocolate Factory

The Menier Chocolate Factory is an award-winning 180 seat fringe studio theatre, restaurant and gallery. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory in Southwark Street, a major street in the London Borough of Southwark, central south London, England. The theatre stages plays...

 production, directed by Sam Buntrock

Sam Buntrock

Sam Buntrock is an English stage director.Buntrock studied Drama at University of Bristol.Buntrock directed the first West End revival of the musical Sunday In The Park With George...

). Hugh's only film appearance was in the 1997 romantic comedy, "Broadway Damage

Broadway Damage

Broadway Damage is a 1997 gay-themed romantic comedy-drama. Directed by Victor Mignatti, the film stars Mara Hobel, Michael Lucas, Hugh Panaro and Aaron Williams.-Plot:Cynthia , Marc and Robert are young friends in New York City...

".

He performed in a number of concerts and benefits, including Bucks County Cabaret, at Joe's Pub, An Evening With Hugh Panaro at the University of Findlay in Ohio, The Leading Men II at the venerable Birdland Jazz Club, and Broadway For Medicine at City Center. Following his performance in the March 26, 2007 Broadway Musicals of 1938 concert, Hugh invited fans to suggest songs for this first solo album. In the summer of 2007, Hugh was one of four Broadway performers joining Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

 on her first European concert tour. He starred as Jean Valjean

Jean Valjean

Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables...

 in a new, non-replica production of Les Misérables

Les Misérables (musical)

Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

 at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre

Walnut Street Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...

 for which he received the 2008 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Actor In A Musical.

In 2009, he starred in Sunday in the Park with George

Sunday in the Park with George

Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...

at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and most recently appeared as Fagin in "Oliver!

Oliver!

Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....

" to rave reviews before hometown audiences at the Walnut Street Theatre

Walnut Street Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...

, opening November 18, 2009 and closed on January 10, 2010. He is currently active as a concert artist appearing with symphonies throughout the United States and Canada.

Panaro returned to the title role in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...

on September 7, 2010. He replaced John Cudia

John Cudia

John Cudia is a musical theatre actor who has played many of the biggest roles in musical theatre on Broadway. He was born on September 21, 1970 in North Carolina, but he graduated from Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River, New Jersey....

 in the role.http://www.playbill.com/news/article/142156-Hugh-Panaro-and-Sara-Jean-Ford-and-Ryan-Silverman-Will-Sing-Phantoms-High-Notes-Starting-in-September This is Panaro's third time playing The Phantom in this production.

Stage Work

• The Sound of Music - Friedrich (1976)
• The Boyfriend
• Chicago - Mary Sunshine
• Jesus Christ Superstar - Jesus of Nazareth
• Noa Noa
• What's A Nice Country Doing In A State Like This?
• Les Misérables - Marius (1988)
• Show Boat - Gaylord Ravenal
• Side Show - Buddy Foster
• Mack and Mabel
• Sweeney Todd - Anthony Hope
• Merrily We Roll Along - Frank Shepard
• Call Me Madam - Kenneth
• The Phantom of the Opera - Raoul (1991)
• The Red Shoes - Julian (1993)
• The Phantom of the Opera - The Phantom (1999)
• Martin Guerre - Martin Guerre (1999)
• Sweeney Todd - Anthony Hope (2002)
• Little Fish - Robert
• The Phantom of the Opera - The Phantom (2003–2005)
• Lestat - Lestat (2005)
• Company - Bobby
• Les Misérables - Jean Valjean (2008)
• Sunday In The Park With George
  Sunday in the Park with George
  Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
  
   - George (2009)
• Oliver! - Fagin - Walnut Street Theatre (Nov., 2009-Jan., 2010)
• The Phantom of the Opera - The Phantom (2010- )

External links

• Hugh-Panaro.net (official site)
• Hugh Panaro performing "The Music of the Night" at the Bucks County Cabaret
• Hugh Panaro Online
• Hugh Panaro on the Internet Broadway Database
  Internet Broadway Database
  The Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
  
  
• Hugh Panaro to star in Philadelphia "Les Misérables"