Miss Paula

“I will have vengeance.  I will have salvation.”

This is a brilliantly intense (read: demented) performance by Hugh Panaro of “Epiphany.”  He collapses at the end of this rant right in front of where I was sitting.

Liz Pearce was also terrific as Mrs. Lovett.  Just a great show on a Sunday evening in February.

Hugh Panaro as Sweeney Todd and Liz Pearce as Mrs. Lovett.

Hugh Panaro and Carolee Carmello as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett

It has been a year ago today (August 22) since Hugh’s concert with the Cape May Pops, and as we stand on the exciting cusp of his first appearance as “Sweeney Todd,” I look back on that concert with special fondness.

Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” has become one of my favorite recordings of Hugh. The song was completely unfamiliar to me, so I did a Google search for information about it—its title, lyrics, composer, etc.  I found recordings of it on YouTube by Harry Connick, Jr. and Tony Bennett, and as accomplished and talented as they are, to me Hugh’s interpretation is so much more stylish and beautiful than theirs. I have not been able to stop listening to this over the last year.

To celebrate the news that Hugh will soon assume the title role in “Sweeney Todd” in New York City, here is his performance of “Johanna” from last year’s concert with the Cape May Pops.

In his soft-spoken introduction to “I Will Never Leave You,” Hugh reveals that this performance is the first time he will ever have sung this song by himself.  When he announces that he is about to sing from “Side Show,” the audible gasp is mine.

In this excerpt, Hugh identifies Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar” as his favorite role that he has ever played.  “Quite frankly, once you’ve played God, where do you go from there?”

As you can tell from our reaction, the audience was in awe of this performance.