They say the devil you know is better than the one you dont.
Its a homecoming thats been a long time coming.
Roger Bart is virtuosity-in-action, director Lear deBessonet tells EW in an email.
Disney; Inset: Matt Petit via Getty Images
I hope we dont have too many rainy nights, Bart says.
It was hair-raising but really fun and meaningful.
So thats how it came to be.
Joan Marcus
But somehow my voice manages to convey [innocence].
Somewhere in my face and eyes, probably not, so thats the benefit of doing a recording.
As Disney villains go, Hades is definitely one of the most dramatic.
Everything Ive seen so far has been so moving and beautiful.
Were dealing in this case with monsters and titans and hydra multi-headed dragons.
Its obviously much easier to draw them than it is to put them on stage.
You have to put on a different kind of creative thinking cap when you do.
Theyre still being revealed to me, but everything [Ive seen] so far seems to be magical.
Its not a living room drama, for sure.
So Lear is incredibly inventive and so is the Public Theater.
I would imagine it would be fun to play in this larger-than-life world of heaven and hell.
Hes not lord of the dead.
[Laughs] I dont know what Im supposed to do now.
Maybe Jesus is my next role?
The pendulum will swing completely to the other side for me, and Ill play somebody lovely.
Im assuming your hair wont be on fire on stage for this?No, I dont think so.
My spirit will be, but my hair would be a little dangerous.
Id prefer not having an open flame near my hair, whatevers left of it.
As a general rule.
Ours was purposely drawn to look two-dimensional.
I think its more popular today than it was years ago.
They would know better than I. I was in Los Angeles, and it was my first time living there with my then-girlfriend.
I had been on the road for two-and-a-half years with two different Broadway first national [tours].
It was great fun, but it was time to stop and give L.A. a whirl.
But I had gotten… And my voice was very pure then, so I thought it was a good fit.
And so I did.
It was the first song they had written for that character.
So I connected to it in that way.
The song spoke to me.
Have you had people come up to you and want to talk about the song?They do!
Thats always a little like,ouch.
[Laughs] The vanity thing kicks in first.
I know Alan Menken and David Zippel have written a few new songs for the stage show.
Whats it been like to return to this world and tackle some new songs?Oh, theyre great.
Ive listened to them, and I am a part of one.
So its pretty much a complete thrill every day.
And the new song that Im doing is very, very cool.
I knew my days playing Hercules were long ago, so its pretty damn thrilling.
