Interview: Mario Cantone Discusses Performing For Andrew Lloyd Webber on THE MASKED SINGER

During The Masked Singer's "Andrew Lloyd Webber Night" episode, mystery contestants sang songs from the composer's iconic catalogue.

Songs from Evita, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bad Cinderella, and Jesus Christ Superstar were performed in front of Lloyd Webber himself by characters like Robo Girl, Mermaid, and Maize.

Watch every performance from "Andrew Lloyd Webber Night" on The Masked Singer here.

At the end of the episode, Maize, an ear of corn designed to resemble Mae West, was revealed to be comedian, actor, and singer Mario Cantone, who is known for appearing in Sex and the City, Celebrity Autobiography, and Assassins on Broadway.

BroadwayWorld caught up with Cantone to discuss how he prepared for his performance, the intense backstage security process, and what it was like performing "Heaven on Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar right in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

---

Going into going into the show, what was the hardest part of keeping your appearance a secret?

Just keeping your mouth shut. But I did. The only one that knew was my husband, Jerry Dixon, who was very instrumental in me doing this because he picked out the song for me once we knew it was Andrew Lloyd Webber night. He was like, 'You need to do this.' I sang it, it felt right. We were in New York and we have the piano and he plays and he made a lot of rehearsing tracks for me in New York before we went out. So he was really helpful. It was quite a thrill. It was.

Then when you get there, you have so much help. The musical director was incredible. Alison, the vocal coach. I mean, they make it as easy as possible for you, but it's terrifying at the same time. It really is.

There's also a pretty intense security process backstage. So what was it like going through that?

Well, you have to cover everything. People can't know. You have to wear hoodies and you have to wear your costume and people don't know except the producers. It's pretty intense. And then you have to shut your mouth for a couple of months until it airs.

Your costume was the Maize. What was the process like behind choosing the costume?

Well, they just showed it to me and I was like, I love it. It looks like Mae West as a stock of corn. That's what I loved about it. I love Mae West, so I was like, 'This is great.' And there was room in it. I got a little lost in it sometimes, you know, when you can only see out of that mouth. My rehearsals were all good but the day that I filmed it, I sang it really well, but I got lost. I was like, 'Where am I?" You know? Because you're turning and you're trying to be entertaining, and I missed my mark a few times. I was a little diagonal but at least I had room in there and it wasn't heavy. It was pretty lightweight.

That was the first time I ever kind of wore something like that, like a costume like that. It's like you're working the Disney World and you're Goofy or Mickey Mouse. You get that head on your head. But they made it pretty lightweight, so you could definitely walk around, move around. It wasn't like you were carrying a ton of bricks on your head.

You mentioned it earlier, but the episode was "Andrew Lloyd Webber Night." What was it like singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's music in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber himself?

Well, it was terrifying. I knew that I could sing it pretty well. And I was like, 'Alright.' And that's a challenging song. That's not an easy song. It's a big, belty, crazy, rock, whatever. So it was scary. But after what he said, it was all worth it. You know, those were some serious accolades from him. So I love that he thought I was young. That's the best part. He was like, 'A young, fresh voice.' I'm like, 'Yeah, if you only knew.'

Would you say that being behind the mask and the costume took down the nerves a little bit?

Because they don't see you? Yeah, it does, it does help a little bit. Because they're not seeing you. Yeah, I know what you're saying. I think so. But it's still a singing competition, so it's all about your voice and making sure that you are in decent voice the day you sing it. It's easy when you're musical and you have a husband that is even more musical and can help you out. So yeah, it's easy. I guess it helps being hidden because they're not seeing your face. They're seeing an ear of corn.

So after you sing in the episode, the judges give their guesses to who's behind the mask. Did any of their guesses surprise you?

I mean, I don't know who Jack White is. Do you know who Jack White is? Anybody know who Jack White is? No. I don't know who Jack White is, but I do know Nathan Lane, Bowen Yang, Jonathan Groff, which was flattering because his voice is just beautiful. I think they were on the right track with some of them. And some of them I was like, "I don't think so." They did go for the Broadway voices. But who is Jack White? That is the mystery for everybody.

---

Watch Cantone be "Un-Masked" here:

Photos: Michael Becker / FOX