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Post by jo on Jan 27, 2013 5:26:05 GMT -5
The covering story from The Daily Mail -- What charisma! Hugh Jackman wows a crowd with song and dance for show with the Philadelphia OrchestraBy Jennifer Pearson PUBLISHED:07:37 GMT, 27 January 2013| UPDATED: 07:37 GMT, 27 January 2013 Hugh Jackman really knows how to put on a show. The Les Miserables star is just as comfortable on a stage as he is in front of a camera, as he easily proved on Saturday as he performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra at one of the city's biggest fundraisers of the year. Hugh was the A-list attraction at the Academy of Music's 156th Anniversary Concert and Ball, showing off the dance moves and that voice that audiences have come to adore. The Australian-born actor, who is an Oscar nominee for his role as Les Mis' Jean Valjean in the musical film about love, obsession and forgiveness, didn't disappoint. Hugh, 44, dressed classy for the occasion in a dark pin-striped suit, white dress shirt and dark tie. He may have been the A-lister, but Hugh made sure the new Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick Nelzet-Selguin was the star. Hugh had everyone in stitches when he pretended to mop the orchestra conductor's brow with a black cloth. Every year the concert attracts a star performer - back in 1957 it was Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore - and this year the powers behind the scenes wanted Hugh. 'This year we decided to change it up again and looked at other ways to create an exciting concert, and Hugh Jackman's name came up,' Joanna Lewis, president and CEO of the academy, told The Morning Call newspaper. 'He is an exciting, vibrant and talented performer and we thought, "Wouldn't he be great with the orchestra?" Stage fright? Hugh pretended to mop the brow of new orchestra conductor Yannick NeÏzet-SeÏguin, which had the audience in stitches 'Yannick liked the fact that we're doing something a little different. We thought Hugh would be well known enough and we knew that Les Mis was coming out. 'But we signed him a long time before the movie came out. We were lucky it is as successful as it is.' The Academy of Music in Philadelphia is the oldest running opera house in the US, boasting a crystal chandelier 50ft in circumference. It's also been where the Philadelphia Orchestra has played for 100 years, and is also host to opera, theatre and other cultural events. Even Britain's royals have been partial to it's exquisite gifts - the Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2268977/Hugh-Jackman-wows-crowd-song-dance-Philadelphia-Orchestra.html#ixzz2JAbQopeI----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Must have been like a short reprise of Back on Broadway  Jo |
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Post by jo on Jan 27, 2013 8:43:57 GMT -5
Review of the show -- www.philly.com/philly/blogs/artswatch/Hugh-Jackman-romances-crowd-at-Academy-of-Musics-156th.htmlSunday, January 27, 2013 Hugh Jackman romances crowd at Academy of Music's 156th Photo: Michael Bryant POSTED: Sunday, January 27, 2013, 8:28 AM Peter Dobrin, Inquirer Classical Music Critic Saturday night, no one was safe from the charms of Hugh Jackman. As guest for the Academy of Music’s 156th Anniversary Concert and Ball, the Australian actor sang a few songs and waved his wit around stage. He bumped fists with the concertmaster and dedicated a tune, “Soliloquy” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, to his father. For “Mack the Knife,” he paid a visit to Box One of the Academy of Music, the booth just to the left of the stage, and danced briefly with the governor’s wife. When he kissed Susan Corbett, you could sense that most of the women in the house - and a decent percentage of the men – were living that moment along with her. Yes, Gov. Corbett, this sort of thing goes on in Philadelphia concert halls and theaters every night of the week. Classical die-hards could find something to love in Jackman, even if it was the fact that he praised the orchestra on stage a dozen times in his 40-minute set. This wasn’t exactly a night of artistic growth for the Philadelphia Orchestra or music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. But what a neat trick: the actor set out, and apparently succeeded, in thanking every member of the ensemble, rattling off in alphabetic order, with dramatic moments of struggle along the way, their first names. “Actually, this was a surprise to me,” said Nézet-Séguin at dinner after the concert, wondering whether there wasn’t some help being whispered electronically into Jackman’s headset. The star’s voice was more than adequately amplified, though it seemed the penetrating, slightly brassy tone was being accurately conveyed. Jackman works hard with the instrument he has at his disposal, and, not unlike Anthony Newley, a focused sound and fast vibrato get the words across with great energy. Deeper connections between text and music, however, remained subservient to charisma. Nézet-Séguin was a great sport. Often, singers have brought in their own conductors to take over their portion of the program. But after a Strauss waltz, a polka and the William Tell Overture, Nézet-Séguin stayed (at one point to have Jackman dab the conductor’s brow with a Philadelphia Union jersey). If the orchestra was under-used this year, it was still a pleasure to hear the orchestrations in “Soliloquy” and “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” rendered so richly. And there was an unadvertised bonus. Doing away with the usual classical guest artist, Nézet-Séguin stepped down from the podium briefly and led the orchestra from the keyboard in the middle movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467. We’ve heard him on harpsichord before, in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, but that was woven into the texture, and here one could appreciate a delicately resonant, if careful, treatment of a part of greater prominence. The last Saturday night of every January, the Academy of Music’s anniversary fete reliably brings out the city’s political, business and cultural leadership, and so it was this year. But Joanna McNeil Lewis, the Academy’s volunteer president since 2007, has tinkered with the formula with the goal of ushering in younger support. Jackman’s career is more of-the-moment than some of the mature rockers who have been recent guests (James Taylor, Billy Joel), and Saturday night Cole and Heidi Hamels came out on stage to recite a few facts about the Academy (it once hosted a football game) and to hold themselves up as youthful first-timers at the ball. “Who would have thought we were learning culture Saturday mornings watching those cartoons?” asked Corbett after the orchestra played the William Tell Overture. You know that a younger visage for the 156-year-old hall comes not a moment too soon when even the old guard is experiencing classical music through a pop-culture lens. . |
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Post by foxie on Jan 27, 2013 10:21:15 GMT -5
Well my friends relative waited on him at dinner-thats as close as I got to the show didnt even hear about it till yesterday-ellen bAD GIRL!!HOPE U HAD FUN!
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 27, 2013 15:37:31 GMT -5
Perhaps a pompous-sounding critic of classical music was not the most appropriate person to review last night's show, at least not the "pop" parts of it. Hugh truly won over the crowd, and deservingly so. Before he even walked out on stage, you could hear him in the wings making warm-up sounds as his pre-intro music started. You could tell it was his voice and that he had no inkling what the audience was hearing. I don't know if Hugh ever found out about his mic's being hot as he was preparing to make his entrance, but when I chatted with him later he seemed very up.and happy. So even if he did learn about that gaffe, it didn't matter.
He looked absolutely gorgeous, devilishly handsome in that goatee. I got a kick, though, out if noticing that the flap of his zipper was very visible as he moved about the stage; the jacket didn't quite cover it. I was hoping he'd dance a little more than he did (very little). But it must have been important to him to bring back half of his BACK ON BROADWAY dancers, even if only for one number, 'One Night Only." I chatted later on with Kearran, Emily and Hilary, who were happy to support him; very sweet. By the way, Emily said she's going into NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT next week. Patrick Vaccariello--not the conductor this time but a part of the orchestra for the night--was a doll as always. He's leaving today for London, where he's doing a revival of A CHORUS LINE. (EVR'Y LITTLE STEP Part Two?)
Cute to see Ava helping Irv, Hugh's and Deb's close associate, to roll out a cart of Philadelphia cheesesteaks onto the stage for the punch line to Hugh's bit: "and if anyone is hungry..." (Think of the. Donald Trump - Occupy joke from the one-man show.).
He told the boys' choir who sang ISCAH that when they grow up, if they visit Australia, they should go to a bar and sing that song. Doing so would get them lots of female companionship, LOL.
I was temporarily confused when he brought out a jersey with the name BIMBOS on it in connection with a mention of Hugh's fondness for soccer teams. I later learned a local Philly soccer team is sponsored by a baking company, Bimbos.
The best aspect of the evening, though, was one I'm thrilled to report: Hugh sounded better than ever. His voice had a deeper, richer resonance than we may have heard lately, and its power and impact were amazing. "Who Am I?" was beautifully rendered in both soaring song and with all the emotional truths of a well-acted scene: the combo left me agog. If he could perform JVJ on stage, the Isherwoods and Denbys of the world would choke on their keyboards. He was that masterful. I was so happy fir him.
One funny item: at the dinner portion of the evening, Irv came over to our table and chatted away. When I jokingly asked, "So when is Hugh ever going to get fat," Irv never "Never...he's 'disgustingly' in shape." He said the Mangold Wolverine movie is the best one ever--even better than X2. I hope that's true so it will shut up the complaining fanboys for good. HOUDINI will likely have an out-of-town tryout, city as yet undisclosed. And we were told that as relatively short as Hugh's program was last night, he wasn't even supposed to be on as long as he was. I'm glad they gave him that "extra" time. Hugh was to have taken a private jet this morning out to Los Angeles, where I hope he triumphs tonight at the SAG Awards.
In sum: a fun evening, made all the more so by getting together with old and new friends. Shout-out to Julie F. from the old red board: It was great to see you again and meet your friend. Thanks for your assistance!
Ellen
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Post by israruth on Jan 27, 2013 16:20:14 GMT -5
Hi, Ellen,
We met at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. I'm the fan from Vancouver, WA.
I'm glad you made the comments you did about the quality of Hugh's singing. Especially in the New York stage show, his voice sounded rich and powerful. I don't understand the so grudging praise.
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jo
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Post by jo on Jan 27, 2013 17:18:15 GMT -5
>>>The best aspect of the evening, though, was one I'm thrilled to report: Hugh sounded better than ever. His voice had a deeper, richer resonance than we may have heard lately, and its power and impact were amazing. "Who Am I?" was beautifully rendered in both soaring song and with all the emotional truths of a well-acted scene: the combo left me agog. If he could perform JVJ on stage, the Isherwoods and Denbys of the world would choke on their keyboards. He was that masterful. I was so happy fir him.
One funny item: at the dinner portion of the evening, Irv came over to our table and chatted away. When I jokingly asked, "So when is Hugh ever going to get fat," Irv never "Never...he's 'disgustingly' in shape." He said the Mangold Wolverine movie is the best one ever--even better than X2. I hope that's true so it will shut up the complaining fanboys for good. HOUDINI will likely have an out-of-town tryout, city as yet undisclosed. And we were told that as relatively short as Hugh's program was last night, he wasn't even supposed to be on as long as he was. I'm glad they gave him that "extra" time. Hugh was to have taken a private jet this morning out to Los Angeles, where I hope he triumphs tonight at the SAG Awards. <<<Thanks, Ellen for sharing your memorable moments of the evening, including your observations about the voice -- I thought it was just me noticing something different from that brief clip of "Who Am I" -- but this must have been the results of all those lessons preparatory to filming Les Miserables! I hope they will have, as bonus features of the soon-to-be-released full soundtrack, alternative versions of key songs from the movie. Good to hear great news about The Wolverine -- it will always be Hugh's film persona, no matter what other honors other roles may bring him. I think there is a fondness for his being Wolverine that transcend other performances. I guess this is the fangirl in some of us Re Houdini -- a tryout? Hmm...that would probably be best for a new stage show -- Boston? San Fancisco? Chicago?? How about where I live, Mr. Jackman ;D Jo
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Post by birchie on Jan 27, 2013 17:19:02 GMT -5
Lovely review as always, Ellen! Sounds like he and the audience had a fun night. >  It took a while to read because there are some big pix making my browser go whack-a-doodle Glad you had a great evening. I was thinking about how much energy all this takes for him. Filming all week, then his special performance, then flying to LA. I hope it all ends in a nice energy boosting win for Hugh, Anne, and the cast. I'm nervous about the SAGs tonight. Watching with finger and toes firmly crossed! Sue |
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jo
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Post by jo on Jan 27, 2013 17:22:34 GMT -5
I hope miracles do happen at the SAGs but never in the form of Harvey Weinstein! I cannot believe how some sites like Goldderby think that SLP is predicted to win Best Ensemble ( SAG's most prestigious!).
Jo
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Post by birchie on Jan 27, 2013 17:26:07 GMT -5
Someone mentioned a clip??? I missed it and just went over the previous posts and still don't see it. Can someone point me in the right direction? PLease!!
Thanks, Sue
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Post by Jamie on Jan 27, 2013 18:30:16 GMT -5
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Post by birchie on Jan 27, 2013 19:03:55 GMT -5
Wow, someone said short clips they weren't kidding. Still better than nothing though! Thanks Jamie!  Sue |
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Post by meredith on Jan 27, 2013 19:05:10 GMT -5
Love the clips ;D
I don't want to seem greedy but I wish she had at least kept the audio of "Who Am I" going! He sounded wonderful!
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 28, 2013 0:33:23 GMT -5
Oh, yes--at least a little more! The way he sang subsequent lyrics--low and with a tinge of melancholy--was beautiful. I do wish that clip had been longer.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Jan 28, 2013 3:23:53 GMT -5
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Post by annetter on Jan 28, 2013 7:24:45 GMT -5
Great find Jo
Thanks for sharing
It was another magical Hugh night
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 28, 2013 7:47:31 GMT -5
Thanks so much, Jo. I couldn't quite remember in what spots his voice went down to that masterful lower register. Having the full ending is wonderful--so glad you found that clip. Ellen |
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Post by birchie on Jan 28, 2013 11:45:22 GMT -5
Thank you Jo! I hadn't had a chance to look for videos yet so this is a nice treat! Sue |
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jo
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Post by jo on Jan 28, 2013 11:55:58 GMT -5
Someone photographed the gala celebrants on the way to the ballroom - in case you are interested in seeing them in their finery. blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2013/01/28/photos-young-friends-academy-ball-2013/But this a very interesting comment from one of the guests -- "One guest told me that Hugh Jackman reminded them of the showmanship of Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darin, but updated to the times."Wow - that is the ultimate in compliments! Jo |
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Post by meredith on Jan 29, 2013 9:00:58 GMT -5
Yes!!! Thank you ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by rmtndew on Jan 29, 2013 12:16:56 GMT -5
That video is amazing. Even though the person is sitting a ways back, you don't hear anything other than Hugh. No coughing, or rustling around or whispering. The audio is spectacular. Thank you for posting that, Jo! - Alicia |
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alma
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Post by alma on Jan 30, 2013 1:10:43 GMT -5
Ellen,
Thanks for giving us the "insider's" scoop. How fortunate of you to have been there! As absolutely great as he was in The Boy from Oz and Steady Rain, I love Hugh best when he is "playing himself": Back on Broadway. Nothing tops that! And now YOU got to see a short version of that... Aaawwww...
I was surprised when I came across Hugh's picture (I think it was last October), wearing a T shirt backing the (Philadelphia Union) soccer team and it said "BIMBO" on it. I recognized the logo right away, because it's a pretty huge bakery down here, dating back from 1945. (By the way, its Flaxseed Whole Wheat bread is VERY good, and a staple at our house, hehe). The company has apparently branched out into other products besides baked goods, but I still have a hard time staying away from its marbled poundcake. I'm successful MOST of the time...
When I realized the BIMBO Bakery had started venturing in the U.S. (Oroweat, Mrs. Baird's, Thomas' English Muffins, with even a mention of it buying Hostess) I was surprised it kept the same name, because of the unfortunate way it is used in English. How long has this connotation been around? I have the impression it's a "recent" sort of slang word, becoming popular maybe 15 or 20 years ago? Am I right?
I wonder if the company will still switch to a different name for their brand in English-speaking countries. It's funny but to me BIMBO fortunately still brings to mind the very cute white bear with the baker's hat that is the company's trademark image. Sweet childhood memories!
If you remember any tidbits you may have left out about the Philadelphia Concert, please let us hear about them. Lucky you!
Alma
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 30, 2013 7:47:59 GMT -5
Alma, I did remember one more tidbit. When I saw the name "Foster" in an article yesterday, it reminded me of this: Hugh announced to the audience that "Today is Australia Day" and in honor of that illustrious occasion, he'd put a can of Foster's under everyone's seat -- or something like that. It got a nice laugh.
Ellen
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alma
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Post by alma on Jan 31, 2013 22:43:56 GMT -5
Ellen,
Hahahaha! A Foster's under every seat! Isn't that just like him. He loves to make these self-deprecating jokes about being Australian and always getting drunk. I bet he's as responsible a drinker as he is at everything else he does.
And to quote Sue (with whom I totally agree):
"Please, spirits of the universe, let this be recorded by someone!"
Did you see or hear anything, Ellen, that indicated this was a possibility? Probably a very long shot, but... fingers crossed.
Alma
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Post by mamaleh on Feb 1, 2013 0:07:04 GMT -5
All I saw was the YouTube segment. I haven't heard anything about the concert's being professionally recorded, which I very much doubt happened, unfortunately.
Ellen
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It took a while to read because there are some big pix making my browser go whack-a-doodle 
