Panaro is a
‘Les Miserables’ fan

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Thanks to a complete metamorphosis, Hugh Panaro says he was able to transform from a chubby little kid who played the organ at his church to a svelte singer who has achieved much success in the world of entertainment.
"Growing up I was kind of chunky, wearing husky-plus size clothes from Sears. I was also very pigeon-toed," he recalled. "So between my weight, the way I walked, and the fact that I was never good at sports, you sort of get a picture of the kind of kid I was up until the time I was about fifteen.
"So music became my thing, my world. I played organ at my church, and I didn’t have many other interests until my parents took me to see a production of Annie, starring Andrea McArdle. It was then I decided I wanted to become a singer," said Panaro, now appearing as Jean Valjean in the production of Les Miserables at the Walnut Street Theatre through Aug. 3.
And sing he could, even though his parents were slightly amazed by the sudden turnaround in their son. Still, they hired a voice teacher for him, and from the age of 12 on, Panaro spent his time appearing in many local productions.
Panaro later enrolled at Temple University to study voice, then moved to New York City immediately after graduation. He originated the role of Marius in 1988 in the first national tour production of Les Miserables, moving up to the Broadway company several months later.
With his baby face and good looks, Panaro said that while he enjoyed being cast in mostly younger roles, it’s nice to have moved on and get what he calls "grown-up roles," the roles he always wanted to play — including the elusive Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit The Phantom of the Opera, graduating from Raoul, the romantic young hero, to the starring role itself, and now Valjean.
Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Miserables is a sweeping, heartfelt and epic saga. Valjean, the fugitive, is pitted against the tenacious Inspector Javert in a lifelong struggle to evade capture.
"I describe Valjean as one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, roles for a male. It’s a deep role, and you have to embrace your dark as well as your light side," Panaro said. "Valjean’s journey is one of redemption, and, as an actor, you can’t just walk through the show. You can’t phone it in. It’s not your typical musical. You have to dig deep and be prepared to beat yourself up emotionally."
And although he loves portraying Valjean, Panaro said one of his favorite roles was that of the seductive vampire Lestat in the Elton John musical of the same name, based on Anne Rice’s works.
"And, of course, Phantom is way up there on my list, as is playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. I know it sounds corny but it doesn’t get much better than playing Christ!" he said.
Over the years, Panaro has had success in other venues as well. At Avery Fisher Hall, he performed with the Radio City Rockettes in Jerry Herman’s Mack and Mabel , and also in the Stephen Sondheim Gala, the culmination of the Kennedy Center’s Summer of Sondheim, where he played sailor Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd.
Additionally, in his one and only film appearance, Panaro was featured in the 1997 romantic comedy Broadway Damage, and he was one of four Broadway performers who joined Barbra Streisand on her first European concert tour last year. ••
For times and ticket information, visit walnutstreettheatre.org