by Gil Benbrook
Few performers move as effortlessly between the worlds of opera and Broadway as Paulo Szot. The Brazilian baritone earned a Tony Award for his Broadway debut as Emile de Becque in the 2008 revival of South Pacific, bringing operatic richness and emotional depth to one of musical theatre’s most memorable roles. Since then, he has continued to explore a diverse range of theatrical experiences, from the grand traditions of opera to the contemporary pop sounds of Broadway.
Szot returned to Broadway in & Juliet, the irreverent, pop-fueled musical that imagines what might happen if Shakespeare’s Juliet chose her own destiny. Playing Lance, a father navigating his relationship with his son, Szot brought warmth and humor to a production that blends Max Martin’s hit songs with a modern perspective on love, identity, and family. His ability to shift between such varied styles speaks to the versatility of an artist whose career has never been confined to a single genre. Szot also played Hades in Hadestown on Broadway and co-starred in the London premiere of Stephen Sondheim's final musical, Here We Are.
Now, Szot takes on the iconic role of Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, presented in a staged concert by Arizona Musicfest with performances at the Herberger Theater Center on October 23-25. The musical’s timeless celebration of idealism, courage, and the pursuit of the impossible offers a fitting new challenge for a performer who has spent his career crossing artistic boundaries.
While preparing for this role and his time in Arizona, Szot sat down to answer some questions and to reflect on the experience of his Tony winning role in South Pacific, finding his place in the ever-changing world of Broadway, balancing opera with musical theatre, and bringing the unforgettable dreamer Don Quixote to life.
Your Broadway debut in South Pacific earned you the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for your portrayal of Emile de Becque. What do you remember most about the experience of stepping onto a Broadway stage for the first time, particularly coming from such an extensive opera career?
Szot: "I vividly remember waiting in the wings for my first ever Broadway preview. I was absolutely terrified; my heart was pounding out of my chest. But then came 'Some Enchanted Evening.' The moment the final note faded, the audience responded with such incredible warmth and generosity that I could finally breathe again and go on with the show."
You have spoken about initially being nervous about acting without the familiar framework of opera and eventually learning to trust your instincts. What did playing Emile teach you about yourself as an actor that you have carried into your work ever since?
"Whenever I leave my 'safe space,' my nerves go into overdrive. But I am not good at quitting, and I absolutely love a good challenge. I truly believe the magic happens during the rehearsal process. That is where you get to learn so much, allowing yourself to make mistakes and grow from them to finally create a new language of communication.
To share that rehearsal process and later the stage, with those powerhouse Broadway actors was in many ways terrifying, but it was also comforting and exhilarating. They were the best team I could have ever asked for. With them I learned to trust the process, to truly listen, and to be patient although I am still working on that last one!"
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| Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot in South Pacific |
Emile's "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine" are two of the most memorable moments in musical theatre. How did you approach making those songs dramatically truthful rather than simply treating them as opportunities to showcase your voice?
"In my opinion, the opening scene of South Pacific is a masterclass in musical theatre dramaturgy. Watching Nellie and Emile fall helplessly in love and struggling and failing to hide it, it is a masterpiece. By the time it culminates in 'Some Enchanted Evening,' the emotional tension has been simmering for so long that the air is electric. For me, the key was to keep it honest and simply let the truth speak.
'This Nearly Was Mine' is the mirror image of that joy. It is the absolute, devastating opposite of falling in love; it’s a profound breakup with the person you expected to spend the rest of your life with. It carries a completely different kind of crushing, heavy intensity. Yet, the artistic challenge remained exactly the same. I tried not to embellish the grief, but to play it with the total, raw simplicity of a man who has lost his compass."
Your career has continued to move between opera and musical theatre, including performances with the Metropolitan Opera and major opera companies around the world, playing Hades in Hadestown on Broadway, and co-starring in the London premiere of Stephen Sondheim's final musical, Here We Are. What do you find most rewarding about moving between those two worlds, and how do they continue to influence each other in your work?
"They influence each other constantly. I spent a decade in opera singing fascinating roles, which taught me that the genre demands immense technical stamina. In opera, everything centers on the acoustic power of the voice and projecting unamplified over a massive orchestra. Because of this, the emotion is woven directly into the musical phrasing. The subtext is so deep that even if the audience doesn't understand the literal words, they completely feel the truth of what is happening.
When I crossed over to Broadway, specifically in a role like Emile in South Pacific, I was fortunate to keep my core vocal identity. But musical theatre, of course, operates on a different paradigm: it is a text-driven storytelling, rooted in conversational acting, where the spoken word must seamlessly transition into song.
Yet, when it’s time to belt or deliver those massive musical moments, the vocal stakes are just as high. What I had to learn was how to adjust between the acoustic demands of opera and the text-first necessity of theatre. "
After South Pacific, you returned to Broadway in & Juliet as Lance, a very different kind of character and musical experience. What attracted you to a contemporary jukebox musical built around the pop songs of Max Martin, and what did you enjoy about playing in that very different theatrical style?
"Without any hesitation, the answer is: the brilliant script and the pure fun of Max Martin's pop catalog. It was an absolute joy—and a wonderful comedic challenge. It felt like a gift from heaven! I had 100% fun every night and was so incredibly happy there. Plus, getting to share the stage with so many brilliant new Broadway talents and experiencing a brand-new theater audience was amazing."
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| Paulo Szot and Philippe Arroyo in & Juliet Photo: Matthew Murphy |
Lance's relationship with his son is an important part of & Juliet, particularly as he learns to see and accept his son for who he is. What did that aspect of the character mean to you personally as an actor?
"On the surface, & Juliet is a massive, high energy party. But for me, the true emotional anchor of the show is Lance's journey with his son, François. Finding the balance between that vibrant comedy and deep parental love is everything.
I vividly remember reading the script for the first time and thinking: I want to play this father. I need to be this man on stage, because I know there are still so many young 'François' figures out there struggling to be seen.
My instincts were confirmed after we opened. I began receiving the most deeply moving letters from young people who wrote to tell me they brought their own dads to see the show. They shared how watching Lance ultimately accept his child for exactly who he is helped open up their own real life relationships. Witnessing that real world impact was, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding moments of my career and in my understanding, the reason why theater exists, and personally, it was deeply gratifying to me."
Having worked in opera, traditional musical theatre, and recently a pop-driven show like & Juliet, how has your approach to storytelling through singing evolved over the course of appearing in these different types of productions?
"It changes all the time and it has be flexible.
How to sing Verdi’s Don Carlo and & Juliet on an interval of 2 weeks? " How do I project a massive sound to the back of a 3,000-seat opera house without a microphone?' to 'How do I use the microphone to let the audience inside my innermost thoughts?'
In opera, the music is the landscape; you ride the wave of a massive orchestra. In traditional musical theatre, the lyrics carry the dramatic plot. In a pop driven show like & Juliet, the music is rhythmically fierce and immediate.
So, how do you balance it all? I am still trying to understand and figuring a way to unite it all and how to keep my own soul and identity. How to treat singing less like a vocal exhibition and more like a pure form of communication? It has to mean something to the character and the audience, otherwise, I am not satisfied with myself. I ask these things all the time and try to bring the best outcome every night."
You are coming to Phoenix to play Cervantes/Don Quixote in Arizona Musicfest and the Herberger Theater's production of Man of La Mancha. What excites you most about taking on this iconic character, and is there something about Don Quixote that you particularly connect with?
"Don Quixote is a bucket-list role for any singing actor. What excites me most is perhaps the beauty and freedom in playing a man who looks at a harsh, broken world and chooses to see knights, castles, and nobility instead.
All performers are a bit like Don Quixote. We put on costumes, chase impossible dreams on a wooden stage, and try to convince a room full of strangers that the illusion is real.
Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we don't. In either case, striving to bring a little beauty and kindness to the world—much like Quixote—is a way to make sense of life."
The Arizona production brings together Broadway performers, Valley musical-theatre artists, and the Musicfest Pops Ensemble which puts the orchestra on stage with you. What are you looking forward to about collaborating with this particular group, and what do you hope audiences take away from Man of La Mancha?
"It is a profound privilege to share the stage with such an incredible blend of talent; the orchestra on stage and collaborating with artists from so many different backgrounds and artistic disciplines is pure joy, and I am just grateful to be a part of this collective labor of love.
As for the audience, Man of La Mancha is a timeless mirror for the human condition. Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we don't. But in either case, much like Quixote, striving to bring beauty and kindness to the world is how we make sense of life. I hope people leave the theater feeling a little less alone, a little more hopeful, and deeply moved by the raw truth of this story.
Don Quixote is a character who refuses to accept the world only as it appears, choosing instead to pursue an ideal and an "impossible dream." How do you approach balancing the character's idealism and humor with the more poignant and human aspects of his story?
"I am still learning and figuring it out, but I intend to approach him by staying anchored in his humanity and honesty."
Paulo Szot sings "I, Don Quixote" with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Joseph R. Olefirowicz, conductor.
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