1/2/2024
Performances and Artists
Little did stage-and-screen star Santino Fontana realize how much five days of work could change his life.
That’s how swiftly he recorded all the dialogue and songs for his leading role as Prince Hans in Disney’s animated blockbuster Frozen – and he had no idea where it might lead.
“I only recorded five days over about a two-year period. And one of those days was just sounds … coughs, grunts, breathing,” Fontana, who has also starred in numerous Broadway musicals and TV shows, tells The Smith Center. “I had no expectations when I got that job. I was just happy to go on the ride.”
Now that the film has become a global phenomenon, Fontana enjoys the surreal knowledge that millions of children (and adults) around the world know his voice from it.
“When I’m on an airplane and the kid next to me is watching the movie, or at Halloween giving candy to a trick-or-treater dressed as Elsa, I’m sitting on this huge secret,” he says.
This marks just one of many breathtaking successes that have forged Fontana’s career.
With the aid of his soaring, effusive vocals, he earned a Tony Award for originating the heartwarming roles of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie on Broadway. He charmed viewers nationwide costarring in beloved musical TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. And he was featured in one of Amazon Prime Video’s most popular series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Now returning to The Smith Center on February 3, Fontana will sweep audiences off their feet with numbers spanning jazz, show tunes and more, while accompanied on piano by Cody Owen Stine, the music director of Broadway smash Hadestown.
Fontana will also reveal insider stories from his stunning career, including a gem involving James Earl Jones and his cell phone.
“The audience will help guide the evening, choosing which songs are sung and stories are told, all the while keeping me on my toes, which is when I think I’m at my best,” Fontana says.
Becoming the Woman of the Hour
Fontana has adopted many personalities as the leading man of Broadway classics such as Cinderella, Hello, Dolly, Billy Elliot and more.
But in Tootsie he juggled two at once, switching constantly between male and female characters, with challenges like “finding ways to accomplish lightning-quick changes back and forth,” he says.
Luckily, he found inspiration for straddling the sidesplitting and endearing elements of playing a woman.
“I got to kind of channel my grandmother, and bring her with me to work every day,” he says. “She passed years before, so it was a blessing I didn’t see coming.”
Conquering Musical TV
Fontana knew TV shows were created at a fast pace, but he says he has discovered that “adding musical elements to it kicks it up to a whole other level.”
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend involves numerous musical numbers, so, “I’d get the edited track we’re going to film to sometimes the night before, and I’d have no idea what the staging would be when we filmed it in the morning,” he says.
He conquered this with his sterling vocals and magnetic charm, which will be on full display during his Smith Center show.
“I try to only (perform) songs that I think are undeniably great,” he promises. “I hope audiences walk away remembering that there’s nothing like a live performance.”
SEE THE SHOW
Santino Fontana performs at Myron’s at The Smith Center on February 3 – for tickets, CLICK HERE.