When countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo was 11 years old, he performed in a Broadway production of “The Sound of Music” alongside capital-P Personality Marie Osmond. Out of the goodness of her heart, Osmond offered the boy a deep discount on her range of dolls, a line she developed with the television shopping channel QVC. Costanzo ended up buying it for about $30. He still owns the doll, and may occasionally use it to scare the living daylights out of innocent reporters.
Nearly 30 years on, this story illustrates Costanzo’s enduring fascination with high camp, a subject on which he trains his clean tone and excellent technique. On January 28, Costanzo and his frequent collaborator—another Personality, Justin Vivian Bond—will release their joint album, “Only an Octave Apart.” I recently spoke with Costanzo on Zoom about the musical benefits of a gym body, the dangers of classical singers performing popular music, and the luxurious boredom of the opera.
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