Hugh Jackman – Back on Broadway

This weekend was originally supposed to be about Paul Byrom shows but once I found out Hugh Jackman was bringing his one man show to Broadway I knew I had to extend my NY weekend an extra day to take in this show.  I saw Hugh several years ago in Boy From Oz about the life of Peter Allen and it was a tour de force performance.  Jackman was so identified with the role that once his contract ran out the show closed.  No one else could possibly inhabit the role like Hugh did.  Most people know him from his role as Wolverine in the X-men movies, but Hugh originally got his start in show business as a song and dance man and was very accomplished in musical theater, so seeing him return to those roots and doing it on Broadway would certainly be a treat.

The night started out with a wild taxi ride through the congested streets of NY, but what else is new?  After 45 minutes we arrived at the theater 10 minutes before show time only to see a huge line outside the theater waiting to get in. Seriously, after all the years Broadway theaters have been running, they can’t open the doors in time to get people seated? Oh well, we found a much shorter line at the other door so in we went to find our seats.  The theater was quite small so our seats, while farther back in the orchestra,  were dead center and gave us a great view of what was to come.

Finally the lights dim and the orchestra strikes up. Yes, Hugh Jackman’s “one man show” comes complete with about a 20 piece band, 3 “dream girls” backup singers, and 3 more dancers.  You know right away this is going to be a bit more than a one man show.  The next thing you hear is Hugh’s unmistakable voice coming from the shadows and then he’s there, on stage, and loving it. There’s something amazing about watching a performer that is so confident in his ability to entertain that he will take the stage on his own.  Reminds me of a certain other singer I know.  :)

 

For the next hour, that seemed more like 30 minutes max, we were transported through time via a stream of Broadway show tunes accompanied by a number of video montages projected on a large screen high above the band.  Sometimes it was hard to know what to watch, Hugh live, or Hugh in clips. In between the singing and dancing Hugh tells some great stories of how he got certain roles, and he throws in a few topical one liners, playing off some of the more recent gaffs heard during the republican debates.  In fact he states they are the perfect thing to go to sleep to. (cue the drum roll on that one).  Hugh is surprisingly a pretty good comic and can deliver a one-liner with the best of them.  And of course he’s full of name dropping stories. One of my favorites he told was getting a call from Steven Spielberg to host the Oscars.  Initially he didn’t believe it was him & when he realized it was it got his attention.  The call lasted only a few minutes before he agreed to “give it a go” and ended the call. Shortly after his wife Deb came to bed & Hugh asked her what she thought about going to bed with the host of the Oscars, and she replied “is Billy Crystal here?”.  No one knows if this actually happened but it sure was funny. 

The second act opened with Hugh full on in his Peter Allen persona, complete with gold lame’ pants, shoes, and see through shirt.  He then proceeded to do a full set of Peter’s songs from Boy From Oz, dstarting with “Between the Moon & New York City” (you know, Arthurs’ theme), and ending with Tennefield Saddler.  This last song is not nearly as well known unless you are from Australia or saw the show but it tells the story in very poignant lyrics of Peter’s grandfather, father, and Peter’s own life. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard it and it was nice to hear Hugh sing all these songs again. I’m not certain the entire office was ready for the flamboyant part of this show, but most of us really appreciated it. Hugh is nothing if not exuberant in his characterizations on stage.

Next we were treated to Hugh & his “Dream Girls” singing & tap dancing their way through a series of movie musicals that Hugh said inspired his love of stage, the highlight being his tribute to Gene Kelly’s “Singing In The Rain”.  I’m not sure how a 6’2” guy can be that limber, but let me tell you he can high kick with anyone in the Rockettes.  He finished that segment with a beautiful rendition of “My Boy Bill” from Carousel, and I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the house. 

One of my favorite things about Hugh’s show was his unabashed openness about his love for his wife, family, and home country.  While the family lives in the states full time now, Hugh has not forgotten his roots and proudly put that on display as the show wound down.  Near the end the lights went very dim and Hugh began clicking a couple of wooden stick instruments together. Then out of nowhere, 2 native aboriginal men walked down both aisles playing the Didjeridu. What a haunting sound it was as it filled the theater. Next there was an aboriginal man and woman that came out alongside Hugh and sang a refrain in their native language.  It almost felt church like. Hugh introduced them as tribal elders and paid them respect as such.  Reading this you might think it was a downer, but in reality it was very uplifting as Hugh explained the efforts his country is making to right the wrongs done to the Aboriginal people for the last 200 years.

There were 2 final songs along with the traditional, and much deserved thank you, to the band and backup singers, and it was all over. But wait, the lights came back up and Hugh addressed the audience about the fund raising being done for Broadway Cares and proceeds to work the crowd into a frenzy by auctioning off not 1 but 2 of his personal tee-shirts worn during the show.  It may sound cheesy, but he raised $11,000 in the matter of 5 minutes. Not a bad day at all for a wonderful charity. I also want to throw in here that I talked to a man at the bar and he couldn’t sing Hugh’s praises enough & told me every Friday Hugh personally comes to all the theater employees and gives them show passes and other things as a thank you. Most stars would send someone to do something like that and it would be seen as very generous. However to take the time to do it personally makes a lot of impact on people.  He also comes out after every show and signs autographs, takes pictures, and chats with his fans. He never ducks out the back. That’s class!

I’m going to close by stealing a quote I read in the paper from a fan that pretty well summed up all of Hugh Jackman’s talent and appeal.  “He can be Wolverine, and he can sing and dance on Broadway, so if I was ever stranded on a desert island he’s who I’d want with me because he could protect me from all danger and keep me entertained for months on end”. I thought that was a perfect description.

Guess you can tell I loved the show, and highly recommend anyone to see him if they can.

Ciao for now

Pat