Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with In the Light’s Antonio Cipriano

Triple threat Antonio Cipriano is a fresh face in the industry who has quickly wowed audiences on the stage and screen alike. In 2007, he won the Sutton Foster Ovation Award for Best High School Theater Actor and was a finalist in the 2017 NHSMTA-Jimmy Awards. In 2019, he made his Broadway debut in Jagged Little Pill, which earned him a Grammy Award. But with talent like Antonio’s, this is just the beginning.

This year, Antonio can be heard on the star-studded cast recording In the Light.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Antonio about the different facets of his career, In the Light, and his upcoming 54 Below show.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Antonio: When I was about five years old, or really, ever since I learned how to talk, I started singing and dancing shirtless around the house. I have video evidence. My siblings and I would make a band. It was crazy.

My parents were like, “We need to do something with this energy that this kid has. We don’t know what to do,” so they signed me up for a musical theater camp. It was a three-week camp at a local community theater when I was eight years old.

We did High School Musical. I was Zeke, and that’s how it all started. I haven’t stopped since.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Antonio: When I was younger, it started out with Frankie Valli, Johnny Cash, all these older artists. Then as I got older, I started listening to a bunch of pop music. It was Ed Sheeran, Michael Bublé, and actors that I looked up to, like Eddie Redmayne.

I saw the movie of Les Mis, which was my first intro to Broadway. I didn’t know what Broadway was until Les Mis. When I saw it, Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit were in it. I was like, “Oh my gosh. That’s what I want to do, a hundred percent. I want to be like them.”

I’ve had multiple variations of influences in my life.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Antonio: There were a few things that happened before the Jimmy Awards, but I feel like the Jimmy Awards solidified it for me.

Doing high school theater, you don’t really know what you can do until you get out into the world—that’s usually your senior showcase in college. That’s sort of what the Jimmy Awards were.

I did the Jimmy Awards, and then things sort of started happening. I was like, “Okay. I feel like maybe I want to really do this. Things are working out. I could do this as a career.”

PC: There are so many different facets to your talent. Is there one that comes more naturally to you? Is there one that’s more challenging?
Antonio: I’ve always been a singer, and acting came along with that, but I would say dancing is definitely my weakest link. I wouldn’t say I’m a triple threat; I’m more of a two-and-a-half threat. I’m a mover, essentially. I did dance in Jagged Little Pill, but it wasn’t anything crazy. It wasn’t anything impressive on my end. The choreography is amazing, but on my end, they stuck me in the back. They were like, “Just pretend you know what you’re doing.” [laughs] I was like, “Great. I’ll do that.” But it was definitely more singing and acting.

There was a point when I was booking things, and I was like, “Oh my gosh. I’m only booking things that involve singing. Am I a good actor?” I had this internal conflict over quarantine. Then, I was lucky enough to book a TV show that was straight acting. I was like, “Oh my gosh. Okay, I can act. Thank God.” [laughs] I was really questioning that. But yeah, I would say singing is probably number one for me, but I do want to get more into acting.

PC: Speaking of Jagged Little Pill, you made your Broadway debut in the production. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What’s been the biggest takeaway?
Antonio: First of all, it was an amazing experience. It was my first thing. I was seventeen when I started. I was completely new to the whole business. It was very new to me.

The biggest shock to me was the eight shows a week situation. I didn’t think it was going to be as intense as it actually was. I was like, “Okay, you got all day, then you got to show up at night. It’s fine, no worries.” Then, I realized that you have to be prepping yourself, your body, and your mind to be able to do that. During the day, that’s what you’re doing. You go do the show like it’s a rigorous schedule. You have to sacrifice a lot of the fun of New York. You can’t do a lot of that stuff. You have to stay focused and keep your instrument safe and all that stuff. That was the biggest shock to me. I was like, “Oh my gosh. I’m used to doing a four-show weekend in high school, and then I’m done. It was so different, but it was great.

PC: You’ve got a new cast recording out now. Can you tell us about In the Light and how you got involved with this project?
Antonio: Yeah! In the Light dates back to 2018. Michael Mott reached out to me on Instagram. He was like, “Hey, I really, really like your voice.” That was probably in September 2018. He reached out and was like, “I want to work with you. You’re really great.” I was like, “Thank you so much. I love your work.”

Then in November of 2018, he reached out and was like, “Hey, I have this thing. I would love for you to send a video to casting for one of the roles in our show.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, a hundred percent. Are you kidding? That’s amazing.” I love the song. Jeremy [Jordan] and Laura [Osnes]’s version was amazing. Lucky enough, I booked the show.

I honestly can’t tell you the actual timeline of what happened after that. I think I’ve done two workshops with the show, then a smaller album, and then the final album. I’ve been with the show doing a bunch of stuff for the past three years now.

PC: You recorded the album completely remotely and virtually. What was that experience like?
Antonio: It was honestly a lot smoother than you’d expect. With both of the albums that I did over COVID, it’s really amazing how they did it. I didn’t think this was possible, but they had Michael on Skype or Zoom or whatever we had. There was a producer that Michael knew in LA and was like, “Hey, you just go over his place. You’ll be COVID safe. He’s got a home studio and we’ll just lay down the vocals.” I was like, “Oh, great.” They had it all figured out. It was great and turned out beautifully. People from all over the world, like Vienna, were part of this album. It’s incredible. It’s really, really amazing how it all came together.

PC: What do you hope listeners take away after they finish the cast recording?
Antonio: They recorded an entire orchestra in Vienna, which is mind-blowing. It’s beautiful. Listen to the orchestration in these songs. It’s incredible, the amount of talent that is part of this show! I mean, we have Jeremy, Solea [Pfeiffer], and this entire ensemble of powerhouse vocalists. I’m so humbled and honored to be a part of a cast like that. I’ve looked up to Jeremy. He’s another one that I’ve been looking up to since I was a wee little baby. It was a really cool experience to be able to work on this.

PC: In addition to In the Light, you’ve got an upcoming show coming up at 54 Below. What can fans expect from that? Is there anything you could tease about maybe potential guests that might show up or your setlist?
Antonio: I’m so pumped about it. I just got my whole band. I’m so excited. It’s titled Nostalgia. It’s the playlist that I grew up on, all songs from early 2000s that I went back to during COVID. I was like, “This is a feel-good playlist. This is what’s going to get me through this time.” When they asked me to do a concert, I was like, “That’s what I want to do. I want to do songs that are going to make me feel good.” You can expect a lot of feel-good, amazing, fun, awesome throwback songs. I’m so pumped about it. I do have a special guest that I’m going to announce soon. I’ll let you know.

PC: We’ve seen you on the stage. We’ll see you in the show that you filmed during COVID. Are there any plans to release an EP, potentially an album? I know you recorded one back when you were in high school that will never see the light of day.
Antonio: Yeah, no, it will never. [laughs] People on Twitter over COVID have started finding it. I’m like, “When can I take that down?” That was 2016. That was sophomore year Antonio. I’m grateful for the experience. I mean, I learned a lot doing it. It’s just something that should definitely be archived, but I would love to make more music. I’ve been writing throughout COVID. I’ve been writing a lot during COVID, and I would absolutely love to release an album. That’s definitely in the plans for the future, for sure.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Antonio: My favorite TV show is New Girl. It’s my feel-good show. I watch it every night. I don’t feel guilty about it.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Antonio: My favorite movie is Sandlot. Growing up, it was my favorite movie. For some reason, any movie that has to do with baseball is way up there. I don’t know why they’re just so good; they’re so well done. Maybe it’s because I played baseball, but I’m obsessed.

PC: Favorite book?
Antonio: I’m not a big reader, but I want to get into it more. I’m currently reading Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey. My mom recommended it to me. It’s really, really good. I’m listening to the audiobook.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Antonio: My favorite musical is Les Mis hands down. It’s the first Broadway show that I found out about. I had done musicals, but that’s the one that really got me into Broadway. I saw it with Ramin [Karimloo], and I met him afterwards. I freaked out. It was awesome.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Antonio: I feel like I’m so predictable. I don’t think anyone would be shocked at the artists that I listen to. Maybe Harry Styles? But everyone knows I love Harry Styles. [laughs]

PC: First album you bought?
Antonio: I can tell you the first song that I ever downloaded. I never listen to other artists. For some reason, I didn’t listen to music. I was really weird. My freshman year of high school, I downloaded “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. That was the only song on my phone. That was the only song I listened to for six months. I don’t know why it was my favorite song of all time.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Antonio: Probably Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots. I discovered it my sophomore year of high school. My brother and I bonded over it. We know every single word to every single song. It was so different than any other music that I had ever listened to.

PC: Dream role?
Antonio: I’m going to have to go with Jean Valjean in Les Mis. I can’t lie, it’s been my dream role since I was a child. So, I would love to play Jean Valjean for sure.

To keep up with Antonio, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Listen to In the Light today. Pick up tickets for his 54 show here.

Photo Credit: Susan Stripling