Memories of some magical moments

[ADMIN]

Did anyone save the Show Report from a TBFO Broadway performance they attended?

Meanwhile - who do you know from this "Class Photo"?

[mamaleh]

Wow, I thought that "class photo" was gone forever. I'm in the second row, right, in the white top, next to the woman in the red shirt and directly behind the guy in the blue-and-white striped shirt. I see Lizzy in the front row, three people to the right of Hugh. And I think I see Corey (not to be confused with Stephen), the kid who made that MAKING THE GRADE short film with Hugh, sitting three people to the left of me. I will never forget that April 18, 2004! Thanks so much, Valerie.

[JH4HJ]

This is exactly the kind of thing I don't want to see "lost" when the old board goes down. There are SO many memories that could be saved if each of us took a little time to transfers our favorite things.

There are scads of wonderful stories about Stage Door encounters, and many great photos, too.

Ah, that smile...


Oh, those hats --


Here's one I took. It's the Wednesday before the final performance.
I came to the party a little late, but at least I got there!



Having had the pleasure of knowing Peter Allen (however slightly), it was an incredibly cathartic experience to see Hugh "being Peter" LIVE on stage in TBFO.

Among other things, I'm really sorry we're going to lose that whole "OZalot Productions" discussion about the movie musical version of TBFO. There are some great ideas there. When I first joined the old board I spent quite a lot of time backtracking through old posts. I'm still grateful for all the encounters that were shared. The "thrill" of Hugh, recounted by so many, was definitely contagious.

[jo]

Was anyone able to save a copy of a short note by Hugh addressed to the Ozalots - it was taken by VocalLizzy, if I recall right, during the renaming of the Plymouth to the Schonfeld Theatre? I lost it when my computer crashed some time ago.

Our true link to Hugh, in writing

Jo

[ruby]

May 26, 2012 22:11:15 GMT -5 jo said:

Was anyone able to save a copy of a short note by Hugh addressed to the Ozalots - it was taken by VocalLizzy, if I recall right, during the renaming of the Plymouth to the Schonfeld Theatre? I lost it when my computer crashed some time ago.

Our true link to Hugh, in writing

Jo

It wasn't at the theatre renaming. I think Lizzy caught him at the Mandarin.

[foxie]

unfortunately it is to small for me to say is there a way to enlarge it??

[chessie]

After Peter Allen died I was no longer able to listen to his music. I couldn’t seem to disassociate the music from the performer, and the thought that I could no longer see him perform those songs was too unpleasant.

When I heard Hugh announce on the Tony awards that he was coming to Broadway in a play about the life of Peter Allen, I knew that I’d be traveling to New York to see it. I made plans with a friend who was also a Peter Allen fan to get tickets as soon as the worst of the New York winter had passed. Unfortunately, I experienced a health crisis the same week in March when my friend’s husband died from a sudden heart attack. Needless to say, The Boy From Oz had to be moved pretty far down on the priority list.

As summer neared, I realized that I was going to be just fine, and my friend was ready to be out and about, so we got tickets for late August, just two weeks before the final performance.

The level of talent I saw on that stage floored me. I remember waiting in the line for the ladies’ room and talking to a woman who had seen the show three times. She asked what I thought about Hugh, and I found myself speechless for one of the few times in my life. I offered some superlative, which didn’t begin to describe my impression of him.

Once Before I Go was difficult. My friend was thinking about her husband, I was thinking about her as well as Peter, and we both found that we were unable to stop crying. I do remember my husband looking over at both of us, no doubt thinking to himself that we had lost our minds. I was awfully grateful for waterproof mascara.

Then came Rio! It was as if all the clouds that had been gathering in a dark sky suddenly parted and the sunlight was once again shining through. All the bad things that had happened were behind us, and it was OK to feel happy.

After seeing The Boy from Oz I began to once again listen to Peter’s music. Hugh Jackman’s performance had convinced me that the man and his music should be celebrated. He also erased from my mind the fear that I would never again experience the level of joy and love of performing that made Peter so special. Hugh has the same rare gift; he enjoys being in front of an audience as much as they enjoy watching him. I was glad I finally got the opportunity in Toronto to thank Hugh for all he’s done for Peter’s music and memory. It’s meant a lot to me on a personal level.

I wish I’d had the chance to see The Boy From Oz more than once, but I’ll never forget that one magical experience. It introduced me to Hugh Jackman and reintroduced me to Peter Allen’s music at a time in my life when I really needed something to smile about.

I’m fairly convinced that Hugh is walking around with a guardian angel – complete with gold lame wings and a pair of maracas – on his shoulder. The two of them make a great pair.

Carol

[alma]

Carol,

What a beautiful way of sharing some lovely thoughts. You took me on a roller coaster of emotions with your personal issues, made me feel the nostalgia for the Boy from Oz show and the thrill of watching Hugh in it, and even had me chuckling in the end with the picture of a guardian angel in gold lamé and maracas.

To me, yours is one of the best examples of what this, and the original forum, are all about. Part of Hugh's "magic" (?) spreading out in uncanny ways to bring people together in positive ways...

Thank you for your lovely post.

Alma

[jo]

I actually took this particular photo -- I was seated on second row, right in the middle, and was implicitly encouraged to take photos when the theatre management simply cautioned about using flash ( giving its permission grudgingly to the audience to use their cameras). Somehow, it got uploaded and is now part of internet images

Just feeling sentimental -- as it will be 8 years ago in two weeks time when the closing matinee played and left us all with priceless memories!


Jo

[foxie]

I wonder how many of us have the exact picture of Hugh from the side signing probably saying hi Dahlin??

[mamaleh]

Jo, you took that iconic photo? I never realized that. I love that photo--it shows him in all his impish, mischievous glory. Is that Matt Damon he's attending to?

Ellen

[jo]

I didn't even focus -- I just kept snapping...and since I had the perfect seat location, I did get quite a few wonderful ones. I actually sent hard copies to a friend and she showed it to a friend, who in turn uploaded it to the internet. Later on, I saw it being sold by a celebrity photo dealer! Except they cropped some of the cast members on the left side and the people in front of me - it was not 100% like mine, maybe like 95% like mine. Unless he was seating on my lap, that particular angle could not have been taken like my photo. LOL!

I did not upload it then because I was scared they could be traced to my IP address and I was kind of afraid of copyright laws ( you know how strict theatres are) - they would not even allow taking of photos of the curtain, if it is interesting.

But I am glad you liked it! And yes, who else was the lucky guy but Matt ...I was seated a few rows in front of him and Patrick Whitesell...and Barbara Cook was seated two rows behind me and she gave us confetti ( she carried them in a huge Tiffany shopping bag) to throw to the cast at curtain call. Deb and Joel Grey were seated in front of Matt's row. That was a fantastic afternoon for celebrity spotting!

I remember eavesdropping on two men seated to my left ( who seemed like bigtime in the industry) and one was saying that they had never seen such big buzz over a show closing! One also said that his wife and daughter were seated in front of us -- and his wife threatened him with something if he didn't get front row seats for them. LOL! She was there alright with her alligator Hermes - but practically dancing on her seat ;D

That afternoon must have been so etched in Hugh's mind! And ours, too!

Jo

[droverswoman]

Jo, that is a fantastic photo - thanks so much for sharing it, from someone who was not able to see BFO at all. *sighs*

[jo]

A much-replied current topic on BroadwayWorld (BWW) --

May I print out my response

>>>Opening Applause for Celebrities?

Posted: 10/1/12 at 10:12pm

Sometimes, on special occasions, the star may even play with the audience.

On the closing show of THE BOY FROM OZ, the show opened much later than usual, which added to the high expectations of the very excited crowd. During the usual entrance, Hugh as Peter Allen would come out of the shadows and sit at the piano before the stage lights open.

That afternoon, Hugh bounded on the stage, sat at the piano to strong and excited entrance applause -- but when he said insouciantly " We're extending!!" ( knowing the audience knew fully well that the show is closing!) -- the crowd went wild!! Everyone was shouting " Yes,yes,yes!!"

That evening was more of a luv-in than a usual closing show ;D<<<


Jo

[mamaleh]

There's a thread beginning here -- www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=2104521 -- on AllThatChat comparing SCANDALOUS to TBFO in terms of a great lead performance in what they term a not-great show (true in the case of SCANDALOUS).

Ellen

[jo]

I saw that yesterday ... and then saw your very good explanation - I had completely forgotten that

Jo

[JH4HJ]

If anyone is traveling to Peru in the next few weeks... I've got a great show for you!
El Teatro Municipal de Lima presenta "El Chico de OZ"

I can't understand a word of this, but it doesn't matter. You'll "get" it anyway.



More info here.

[birchie]

Well he's certainly no Peter or Hugh but it's nice to see that people are getting to appreciate the show in other countries. I was wondering who the blond bombshell was supposed to be playing??? Here's another look at them all in a more interview/promo format-interestingly, Peter is singing Rio in the background.

Sue

[mamaleh]

Jo, nice to see your reminder about Hugh's and Isabel's "Quiet Please..." on B'way World.

Ellen

[jo]

Ellen,

I had a lovely memory nod while watching it, too

Can't believe the show closed almost 9 years ago on Broadway!

Jo

[foxie]

And how long we all have been friends!!

[mamaleh]

I remember the first performance after Hugh's Tony win was pandemonium--especially when the regulars saw that he had adopted the gold lame pants previously worn only at the Tony ceremony two nights earlier. That Tuesday was pure high energy.

Ellen

[mamaleh]

Just realized this evening that Oct. 16 marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of TBFO at the Imperial Theater! Wow.

Ellen

[jo]

Has it been ten years??!!!

Loving the show and its lead actor smiley-happy096

And sharing the devotion with others smiley-gen126


Happy Anniversary to Hugh and to all the Ozalots ( old and new!)


Jo

[jo]