What They Say About Hugh

[mamaleh]

Joel Grey (Hugh's friend) in CABARET was number one, and Eugenie Leontovich in ANASTASIA was second. I'm not familiar with the latter.

Ellen

[jo]

Oops, I didn't realize Margie has put up the link to the Playbill.com feature.

I guess reading what she said about Hugh knocked out my detective skills - LOL!


Jo

[foxie]

For sure

[jo]

I am reposting here what I had posted on the "Birthday Greetings to HJ " thread because it is too good to be missed!

I know this thread is about what people say about Hugh, but indirectly his thoughts on Jerry Schoenfeld which he expressed in his foreword to the book "MR. BROADWAY" says as much about Hugh as his thoughts do on his friend!


Re-quote:



ht.ly/eqEKq


The following is an excerpt from Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars by the late Gerald Schoenfeld. This is the foreword, written by Hugh Jackman.


Jackman and Schoenfeld, photo as printed in the book Mr. Broadway



When people meet me, usually their lasting impression is of my wife . . . after all, she is in my opinion far funnier, more interesting, and definitely sexier! The type of person who turns heads in whichever room she is in. . . .Well, I have to say my first memory of meeting Mr. Schoenfeld was a little similar. It was at a fancy London hotel off Hyde Park, I was with my good friends Ben Gannon and Robert Fox, the producers of The Boy from Oz, and we were going to tell him of our plan to bring the show to Broadway. It was around six p.m., and Mr. Schoenfeld had plans to go to the theater, so we were going to shake hands before they went to the show.

I was surprised when we went into the hotel that we went straight up to the room. I thought we might have met in the lobby, but no . . . Jerry was always authentic and down-to-earth, and—as I would say to him later during our decade of friendship—he was to me an honorary Australian . . . a man of old-fashioned values, where a handshake was stronger than any contract.

Jerry welcomed us not as the titan of Broadway, as he had been described to me, but in a very warm, genial, and up-front way. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Schoenfeld.” “Please call me Jerry. . . .Very nice to meet you, You”—Jerry always pronounced my name without the H… like a lot of genuine New Yorkers!—then straightaway said, “So . . . I know you are in movies, so are you really coming to Broadway with this show or what?”

Jerry always was to the point, and for the next ten years would say to me something similar: “Enough of all this movie shit, when are you coming home—when are you coming back to Broadway?” I told him yes, we shook hands . . . apparently that was it, it was done, then barely two minutes into our meeting, Pat came into the room wearing her bathrobe: “Jerry, have you seen my. . .”And I can’t remember the rest of the conversation. I immediately remembered I was in someone’s hotel room, and Pat didn’t blink an eyelid.We shook hands, I apologized for being there, and she told us to sit and relax, and I wondered how often things like this might have happened. For Pat it all seemed very normal. And like my wife, as big a personality as Jerry was, Pat somehow had that ability to turn heads effortlessly.

From that moment I knew we were going to be friends. I liked them both instantly, and very soon after, like would turn to love. Pat and Jerry invited me and my family to spend weekends with them upstate, we would go to the theater together, to restaurants, and all along I had that feeling that Jerry was not like a king but more like a father and brother all rolled into one.

The year I spent on Broadway doing The Boy from Oz was one of the greatest years of my life, with so many extraordinary memories. But one of my lasting impressions is the visits I would get from Jerry. Sometimes it would be just before I went onstage: “You,” Jerry in a very loud stage whisper would say, “I need to talk to you about something.” “Jerry, I am just about to go onstage.” “I know—it won’t take a second”. . . always made me laugh. But then, during the last song of the show, “Once Before I Go”, two to three times a week I would look out to the wings and there Jerry would be, a lover of the theater and one of the greatest supporters I have ever had. He told me how much he loved the show. . .maybe it was the resonance of the show’s themes of someone living their dreams, someone living life to the full, of having no regrets of the road traveled. And to me that was Jerry. Right up to his death Jerry was working . . .well, not that it was work to him. The theater was his domain, his church, his home. Talking to me about shows, sending me possible scripts for new shows, revivals . . . whatever.

The last night of Jerry’s life, Pat and he came to the premiere of my movie Australia. He came and grabbed me after the movie was over, upset that Pat thought it not a good idea to go to the after party, and said, “Very good, You . . . now enough of this movie business, when are you coming back home . . . to Broadway?” It would be only nine months later, in a show called A Steady Rain, with Daniel Craig . . . a fourteen-week run, and in which theater? The Schoenfeld, of course!

I can’t wait to read this book. I knew Jerry for only ten years. He changed my life in so many ways; now it is really time for me to learn about the other seventy years. Thank you, Pat, for making this book happen . . . and secretly I will always picture you working on it … in your bathrobe!



What a warm, lovely foreword -- such a heartfelt tribute to a friend and a nice revelation that Hugh, indeed, had been a real loss to the field of journalism!

I hope someday his engaging style would again be used to write his own autobiography. I am sure we would be entertained by his writing style as much as what he would want to share with his public!

Jo

[mamaleh]

At the very end of tonight's ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, cohost Billy Bush said, "Who's the nicest guy in Hollywood? Hugh Jackman. Who's the most bitter guy in Hollywood? Tommy Lee Jones." This seemed to come out of nowhere, and I didn't catch the explanation for the Jones attribution, but it's nice to know that, however he fares with LES MIZ at the Oscars, Hugh continues to be highly regarded.

Ellen

[Jamie]

Billy Bush is doing some sort of on line tweet Q & A where he will answer "any question". Those were "sample" questions of the type the audience could ask. 9:30AM/12:30PM PT/ET twitter.com/billybush Use hashtag #askbilly

[mamaleh]

Ah, that would explain the out-of-nowhere ruminations. Thanks, Jamie.

Ellen

[jo]

Another compliment from Sir Ian Mckellen --

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9678384/Sir-Ian-McKellen-there-will-be-no-more-British-acting-greats.html

Sir Ian McKellen: there will be no more British acting greats

Sir Ian McKellen argues that today's young actors will never develop into fine middle-aged performers because they have not honed their talents in repertory theatre.

By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
7:00AM GMT 15 Nov 2012
80 Comments

Britain will produce no more actors of the calibre of Dame Judi Dench or Sir Derek Jacobi because repertory theatre has died out, according to Sir Ian McKellen.

Sir Ian said he would not have the career he has today without a grounding in regional rep. The current crop of actors, who go straight into television and film roles or appear in the occasional stage production, do not have the same experience.

“The situation is desperate. There are no [resident] companies in this country - not even the National Theatre has one. There’s a desert,” he said.

“The danger’s going to be that the current generation of actors won’t develop into good middle-aged performers because they won’t have been able to live from their work.

“The strength of British theatre should be that these actors in their middle years know what they’re doing and are good at it. Not rich, not famous, but making a living.”

Sir Ian said he had “always been an actor for the long haul. And it all began for me with doing three years’ apprenticeship. I didn’t go to drama school.”

He appeared in 15 productions at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in the early 1960s, where he was paid £8 10s and honed his talents in Shakespeare, Chekhov and Agatha Christie.

Asked if the current system could “produce another Sir Ian”, the actor replied: “No. Nor Derek Jacobi, Mike Gambon or Judi Dench. I got better as an actor, and still I’m getting better. That’s only been possible because there’s always been work.”

Dame Judi has also spoken about the benefits of appearing in regional rep, where a full-time, resident company performed different plays.

“You could make mistakes, and have a go at playing some terribly old person when you were 23. Ideally, what I’d like is to be in a company and not be doing the same play every night,” she has said.

Sir Ian, 73, told the December issue of Reader’s Digest that spending years in regional theatre had other benefits.

“Why do you act? You act for an audience. In the theatre, you’re in their presence. Film stars don’t know what it is to have an audience,” he said.

“You see some at awards ceremonies who can hardly make it to the middle of the stage, they’re so nervous. There’s a microphone so they don’t have to project. And they read their words.

“You see a theatre actor come on and it’s, ‘Oh, hold on, there’s a show happening’. Hugh Jackman at the Oscars - that’s a theatre man, who happens to be a film star.”

Sir Ian won a new generation of fans with two roles in Hollywood blockbusters: Magneto in the X-Men franchise and Gandalf in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is reprising Gandalf in The Hobbit, which opens next month.

The actor said he refused to be “snooty” about his roles.

“I’ve always had very catholic tastes. Tolkien and X-Men are both good storytelling. They’re not franchises about cannibals or mindless outer space visitors - these are epic tales that do more than entertain,” he said.

“Millions and millions of people have seen Lord of the Rings. Of course I’m more famous for that than Waiting for Godot. Just because a piece of work has been seen by so many more people doesn’t mean it’s less in value.

“I’d as soon see a pantomime as a revival of Shakespeare; it all depends if it’s any good.”

Sir Ian was one of the first celebrities to embrace the internet, posting regular blogs on his website long before they became commonplace.

In the interview, he joked that he had “almost invented” blogging. “We called it e-posts. Didn’t catch on,” he said.

“I’ve always been interested in publicity. I remember doing Bent with Michael Cashman and going round London putting up our posters. All this internet stuff is far easier.”

The full interview appears in the December issue of Reader’s Digest, out on November 20

>>>“Why do you act? You act for an audience. In the theatre, you’re in their presence. Film stars don’t know what it is to have an audience,” he said.

“You see some at awards ceremonies who can hardly make it to the middle of the stage, they’re so nervous. There’s a microphone so they don’t have to project. And they read their words.

“You see a theatre actor come on and it’s, ‘Oh, hold on, there’s a show happening’. Hugh Jackman at the Oscars - that’s a theatre man, who happens to be a film star.” <<<


Jo

[jo]

Amanda Seyfried, in a feature on Vanity Fair, talks about the other side of Papa Valjean --

www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/11/amanda-seyfried-lovelace-les-mis-hugh-jackman#slide=1

>>>In Les Mis she plays the adopted daughter of Hugh Jackman. Is it true, I ask, that nobody has a bad word to say about him? “There is nothing bad to say about Hugh. He isn’t human. I bet you anything he’s got some kind of superhuman capabilities, beyond just being just the kindest, gentlest soul I’ve come across.” Plus, she says, he has a wildly inappropriate sense of humour, which she shares. Together they invented alternative story lines that transformed their characters’ tender relationship into something altogether less innocent, like the old Renault “Papa!” and “Nicole!” ads gone wild. “We sexualized everything as much as we could. It was really funny, the moments we could find . . . It’s like every movie has another version, another satirical version of itself.”<<<


LOL - wish we could have heard the real-Jackman-and-Amanda act

Jo

[mamaleh]

Yeah, that's the alternate version of LES MIZ I want to see.

Ellen

[jo]

From a tweet --

Alison Newnhamþ@Allypally52
@realhughjackman Samantha Barks just said on BBC Morning TV that you're the loveliest man in showbiz!!


Jo

[JH4HJ]

RE: "bankable" actors --

HOLLYWOOD - Hollywood take note: If you want your movie to be a hit, hire Denzel Washington!

He's been rated the most bankable star, filling more seats in 2012 than any other actor. Denzel starred in "Safe House" and "Flight."

In second place is the only woman in the top ten - Anne Hathaway. She starred in "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Les Miserables."

Her co-star in that film, Hugh Jackman, came in third. Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp rounded out the top five.

(KUSA-TV © 2013 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

I'd say that's pretty impressive. ;D

[ocjackie]

Again, maybe I'm a little prejudiced, but I think he could be a little higher. But, this is a good start. It's only up from here.

[jo]

Wait till Les Miserables completes its run -- it has already produced worldwide receipts of $ 129 million as of January 1!

Jo

[Jamie]

As of 1/1
Les Mis - Budget $61 Million - Domestic $80,579,110 -Global $129,279,110
Django - Budget $100 MIllion - Domestic $77,833,497 Global

[jo]

Not sure where to classify this article on Hugh's longtime body double and stand-in, Taris Tyler, but there are aspects where he talks about working with Hugh --


www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/being-hugh-jackman-20130223-2ey8l.html#ixzz2LlVs1LGi

Interesting article on the actor whom we first met on photos showing him looking like The Drover ( almost!) and who has worked similarly in XMEN Origins:Wolverine, Real Steel, and Les Miserables. Also, some inner glimpses on how it is working with Hugh.


Jo

[chessie]

This is a terrific article. It reinforces what we all know to be true about Hugh; he really is too good to be true!

Thanks for the link, Jo.

Carol

[mamaleh]

Lovely sentiments about Hugh. I was standing at the Broadhurst barricade the evening Taris Tyler attended the show, and we exchanged a few words of hello. He is quite good-looking (what else? he's Hugh's stand-in/double!) and personable. I wish him lots of success. Looking forward to hearing about Hugh's being his stand-in for that day.

Ellen

[apetricc12]

What a fantastic article! I think it's great that Hugh will be his stand-in!

Annette P

[bandala]

Just re-reading the article on Taris. My nephew's former girlfriend worked with Hugh during the filming of Wolverine when they filmed in New Orleans. While the very small crew for that location loved Hugh, she said they were all quite taken with Taris as well.

[JH4HJ]

Interesting blog entry from a guy with a huge "man crush" on Hugh.

I've got a big man-crush on Hugh Jackman. He's the role model, sage, and hero for introverted, sensitive, artsy men pining for just a sliver of space in the North American consciousness. As an entertainer in a highly image-conscious industry, he's masterfully projected both ends of the masculine-feminine spectrum in his choices as a performer. At the same time he's kept his status as a hunky male sex symbol without propagating the macho cliches that poison the minds of boys and men with falsehoods about what it is to be a man. . .

. . . It's no small feat for a brawny man in a tux to shake his booty and sing songs that made Bette Midler famous, and not have the spectacle forever tarnish any sex-symbol image he might have claimed. In the achievement he's chipping away at what is, for men like myself, an oppressive, narrowing definition of what it is to be a "man." The juxtaposition goes a long way to driving a wooden stake into the heart of the domineering alpha-male persona that many women seem to look for in a prospective heterosexual partner. Maybe, because of Hugh, sensitive, expressive, emotionally robust, and artistic are traits that will some day rival those of ambitious, wealthy, charming, and accomplished that currently have women swooning. I won't hold my breath, but I love Hugh for planting the seeds of hope in my mind.

You can read the whole thing here:
edmundksaunders.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/my-hugh-jackman-man-crush/

[mamaleh]

Nice find, Valerie. Thanks.

But I'm trying to think: What songs did Hugh sing that Bette Midler introduced? Ann-Margret was known for "Once Before I Go," but I can't think of any songs I associate with the Divine Miss M.

Ellen

[JH4HJ]

Off the top of my head, I don't know either, Ellen. Unless he's confusing the "real" Hugh with his Peter Allen personae, but even then his turn of phrase doesn't really work. I get the feeling he just pulled a "Gay Icon" name out of the hat.

Peter opened for Bette when she sang at The Bitter End (early 1970s)... and she used Teterfield Saddler as an encore when she played Vegas, as well as singing it at Peter's west coast memorial service (when she famously tossed away the lyric sheet and then couldn't remember the words). It's possible Bette included other PA songs in her act from time to time (pretty sure she did when performing Down Under). I like her, but I don't follow her career closely.

Carol Bayer Sager has a tune on one of her albums that she co-wrote with Peter called "Shy As a Violet" which, I believe, has Bette as a back-up singer.

As to Hugh singing songs associated with Midler - I haven't a clue, though I bet he'd have a lot of fun with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. ;D

Tangent: (my brain went here while trying to find a connection with Midler)
There is a cabaret performer named Shawn Ryan who has been described as "The love child of Bette Midler and Peter Allen!" - The Times
Whoa! Now there's a heady thought. LOL
www.youtube.com/watch?v=87LQyaNqX7E

[mamaleh]

Thanks for sharing your memories and associations, Valerie. I think you hit it on the random "gay icon" aspect.

Ellen

[Jamie]

Bette just premiered on Broadway in "I'll Eat You Last" a one woman show about Sue Mengers www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/04/bette-midler-broadway-premiere-of-ill-eat-you-last-sue-mengers