Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer Season 8’s “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night.” Read at your own risk!
The Masked Singer is a show that shares a lot in common with Broadway musicals, at least in terms of people singing in costumes. After a week's delay thanks to baseball, “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night” brought another similarity, as the Broadway icon appeared as a guest panelist to give his input on how a new set of masked contestants performed his most iconic songs. Webber had some glowing praise for Maize, who turned out to be actor and comedian Mario Cantone.
CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to Mario Cantone about his elimination episode, and asked about his reaction to hearing Andrew Lloyd Webber showering him with compliments. Cantone recalled the moments after his first performance, and how he felt about Andrew Lloyd Webber calling him a “young” voice:
I was thrilled. I mean all of them were glowing, every one of them, but from him? It’s his song and you don’t want to mess it up, and you want to do the best you can. He kept saying, ‘Such a young, fresh voice,’ I’m like, ‘Young? You have no idea. I’ve got to go backstage and get my walker after this performance!’
Andrew Lloyd Webber was a big fan of Mario Cantone’s performance of “Heaven On Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar, which isn’t an easy song to perform. Of course, Mario Cantone is a professional Broadway actor, so he might’ve known the secrets to performing a musical number that a regular singer or other celebrity might not.
And yet, despite that, The Masked Singer’s audience eliminated Maize first over Mermaid and Robo Girl. Like actor Eric Idle and many other talented performers, Mario Cantone found himself a victim of the show’s adjusted format for Season 8. Cantone told CinemaBlend that he wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest, and that’s thanks to leaving alongside his famous singing co-star who was also unmasked, Gloria Gaynor. Cantone said:
It was lovely to meet [Andrew Lloyd Webber], and it was great to hear that, and you know, I was voted off with Gloria Gaynor so I was in great company! It was not an embarrassment, but I was disappointed. I wanted to go on. I had stuff planned. I had the next episode planned, and the music picked out for the next three episodes. I prepare! But, unfortunately, we didn’t get to the Battle Royale.
Beyond Gloria Gaynor, The Masked Singer Season 8 eliminations contain a slew of talent who in any other season might’ve advanced a lot further. The unfortunate downside of this new format is that most singers only get a song or two an episode to prove that they're worth keeping, which may not be representative of their true talents as a performer. Had Mario Cantone had another song to show the audience, it’s possible he would still be in the competition following this latest episode.
Alas, things didn’t happen that way, and The Masked Singer’s upcoming episode will show Robo Girl take on another two competitors. Ultimately the winner of this batch will square off against Harp, who made it into the semifinals after beating notable names like actor William Shatner and NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick (who just seemed thrilled to meet his idols). Perhaps this format will lead to a more exciting finale, though we can only wait and see if that’ll be the case in the coming weeks.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Those who missed episodes can catch up right now on streaming provided they have a Hulu subscription.
