Hugh as a theatre aficionado

[mamaleh]

Cerveris is wearing a wig. I saw him at a BC/EFA event the other day, and he was sporting his usual shaved head.

Yes, Jo, Cerveris plays the role in FUN HOME that Hugh expressed interest in. I don't think Hugh's standing could afford him the luxury of replacing Cerveris during the run, but we've seen how Hugh likes to defy convention, so who knows?

Ellen

[jo]

LOL - here's the true story --

playbill.com/news/article/tony-winner-hugh-jackman-takes-another-visit-to-the-fun-home-347711?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Did he actually do a reading then, I wonder

Hmmn...maybe Jackman, the Baddie, may have bad intentions

Cerveris, watch out wolverine


Jo

[jo]

Jeff Tabak ‏@brokerjeff · 24m24 minutes ago
@realhughjackman my mum would like to invite you/your wife to lunch to celebrate her 81 birthday. You kissed her at The Audience Matinee Wed

[jo]

Hugh looks up Amanda --

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 22m22 minutes ago
Saw this Awesome show last night with my good friends @amandaseyfried @thomassadoski #WayWeGetBy

Second Stage Theatre ‏@2stnyc · 9m9 minutes ago
Loved having @realhughjackman in the house for #waywegetby last night! A real treat for our audience last night as well.

[jo]

He's catching up on his theatre dance card --

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 2h2 hours ago
Amazing show .... HAND TO GOD - so warped - so good.

[jo]

www.broadway.com/buzz/181172/hugh-jackman-gets-insulted-by-hand-to-gods-possessed-puppet-tyrone/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[jo]

The sock puppet is extra affectionate with Hugh

[mamaleh]

As I posted elsewhere, that sock puppet has a super-potty mouth. But I'm sure Hugh loved getting razzed.

Ellen

[jo]

He's keeping up with his theatre-going, even in Australia!

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 13m13 minutes ago
Saw an amazing play tonight. THE PRESENT. Cate Blanchett, Richard Roxburgh, Jacqueline McKenzie - the entire ensemble and production. GENIUS

[jo]

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 23m23 minutes ago
The first Broadway show we ever saw. Waited at the stage door to get that autograph. #PACINO

*The play was at Circle in the Square - did Hugh and Deb wait at the same place we waited to see Hugh before and after the show ( The River)


*The play was called "HUGHIE" by Eugene O'Neill

Hughie, written in 1941, paints a portrait of a small-time hustler named Erie who returns to a seedy hotel where he was a hero to the old night clerk, Hughie. But when Erie arrives this time, he learns that Hughie is dead, and he must find a new ear (Paul Benedict) for his tall tales of wine, women and gambling glory.

*At that time, Pacino had made sure that affordable seats were made available, just like THE RIVER.

Pacino, who has been a long time supporter of the theatre, insisted that 100 tickets be set aside and sold to the general public at $20 each. The special $20 tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. the day of each performance at the Circle in the Square Box Office (50th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue).

*That was in 1996 - 18 years later, Hugh was at the same theatre for THE RIVER.


www.playbill.com/news/article/al-pacinos-bway-hughie-extends-to-nov.-2-329018

[jo]

Was this the same time when he and Deb were in NYC, just as he was about to play Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in Australia?

Original Australian production[edit]

In October 1996, the original Australian production of the musical opened at Melbourne's newly restored Regent Theatre. The cast included Debra Byrne as Norma, Hugh Jackman as Joe, and Catherine Porter as Betty.[26] Maria Mercedes starred as the alternate Norma, performing two of the eight shows each week.[27] Future Wicked star Amanda Harrison took over the role of Betty for the final months of the show's run. The production ran until 14 June 1997.

I remember seeing a longer version of this clip, which included scenes of Hugh and Deb doing touristy things in NYC. There was a photo of them with Deb carrying a Met Museum shopping bag while exiting a doorway. It seems that while they had gotten married in April 1996, the trip to NYC did not occur till later in the year as Hugh had to complete his commitment to Beauty and the Beast...after which he had gotten the lead role in Sunset Boulevard.

onwiththeshow.com.au/hugh-jackman-in-beauty-and-the-beast/

This month, Hugh will wed the love of his life, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, currently being seen in the television series, Fire. As for a honeymoon, that may have to wait until later in the year when Gaston finally gets a break from pursuing the stage love of his life, Belle

Hugh was already a musical theatre star in Australia when he came to NYC and waited at the stagedoor with Deb to get his poster of HUGHIE signed by Al Pacino! What an unassuming person he was...and still is!


Jo

[jo]

The tour de force portrayal by Imelda Staunton of Rose (Momma) has been one of the most critically acclaimed ever!

David Jenkins ‏@davidstephenj · 20m20 minutes ago
An honour to watch @gypsymusicalldn and an Imelda Staunton masterclass in Musical Theatre. Good to see @realhughjackman in amongst us too

PS: One of the performances will be filmed, so there is a chance for UK and maybe USA audiences to see it without having to go to London.


Jo

[mamaleh]

So glad this production is being filmed. I hope it reaches the home video market.

When Hugh was sort of soliciting names for his then-new dog during the run of THE RIVER, I suggested Chowsie, the name of Rose Hovick's dog in GYPSY, given its theatrical pedigree. He looked like he was considering it, but I'm pretty sure they already had Allegra in mind.

Ellen

[jo]

Hugh checked out a new play starring old friend Nicole Kidman ( "Photograph51" in London)

Holly Easterbrook ‏@misseasterbrook · 2h2 hours ago
Well, @photograph51we was fascinating.... As was @realhughjackman sat two rows in front of me in a tight, white shirt.

Win.

twitter.com/Photograph51WE

[jo]

He took his Mum, Grace, to PHOTOGRAPH 51!

See photos on the Jackman Family thread.


Jo

[jo]

Hugh has talked about how he feels when he is performing on a live stage.

"Onstage I feel an intimacy that feels natural, that’s transcendent. Sometimes I feel more myself on a stage than I do off the stage. When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. It’s the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. That’s what it feels like."

He seems to be not only supportive of the theatre, but it seems he takes every effort to see a show when it is feasible.

I wonder how he feels when he is part of the audience? Does he wonder if how he reacts would be the same for his audience when he is actually performing?

Jo

[jo]

I have forgotten all about this -- in fact, I cannot even remember seeing this part of the interview.

Hugh sings I'VE GOTTEN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE to Barbara Walters smiley-love029


Do rush to 4'20" --




Sigh smiley-love067

PS: I wonder if Hugh told Barbara that he once appeared as Professor Higgins in a school production ( at Knox) of MY FAIR LADY ?


Jo

[jo]

Not really Broadway -- more like Off-Broadway.

At The New York Theatre Workshop, in a show which seemed like a farewell tribute to David Bowie --

www.vulture.com/2016/01/solemn-scene-on-friday-at-bowies-lazarus.html#

Spending a Final Friday Night With David Bowie’s Fans at Lazarus
By Boris Kachka


David Bowie Remembered



The play wasn’t starting for another half-hour, and already someone was crying.

The New York Theatre Workshop’s downtown audience isn’t prone to exuberant emotional displays — leave that to Broadway — but this was the last Friday night of the short run of Lazarus, a sideways jukebox sequel to the 1976 David Bowie vehicle The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the mercurial superstar hadn’t been dead a week. Bunches of deli flowers were jammed into the theater’s backlit sign; on the ground below was a makeshift shrine of bouquets, candles, photos, and a faux-bronze bust of the artist circa Nicolas Roeg’s cult film...


After the curtain call, the crowd dispersed almost as quickly as any other Off Broadway audience. Hugh Jackman sneaked quietly out, having sneaked quietly in. Others discussed the show’s spacey oddities and Ivo van Hove’s brilliant staging and debated just how Bowie the whole thing was. “I think anything would feel like part of his canon because he was such a chameleon,” concluded a friend of the band...

[mamaleh]

The show didn't get great reviews, but there's still talk of its moving to Broadway. It was pretty much sold out when tickets were announced (it was in a tiny theater). Maybe this was HJ's way of another "sorry" for selling that long-ago ticket to a Bowie concert as a teen. I've noticed that numerous articles in the wake of Bowie's passing show a photo or video of a scene he did with HJ in THE PRESTIGE. I'm glad Bowie's last feature film role was well received.

Ellen

[jo]

A lot of people ( including film sites) say this was David Bowie's best film portrayal. Some even say that they did not recognize him initially as Nikola Tesla... I think THE PRESTIGE will get some airing for many Bowie fans.

LAZARUS is a jukebox musical and this kind of shows does not usually get love letters from critics. TBFO was dissed ( even if Hugh was very well-praised for his performance), MAMMA MIA! also did not get critical approval but theatre and movie audiences loved it. BEAUTIFUL ( Carol King musical) and JERSEY BOYS have had staying power. I guess the reason why LAZARUS might get to Broadway is that it will become a tribute show for an iconic star like Bowie.

Ellen - did you ever see him in THE ELEPHANT MAN on Broadway?


Jo

[jo]

Christopher Nolan talks about working with David Bowie --

www.ew.com/article/2016/01/19/david-bowie-christopher-nolan-the-prestige

It seems they worked together only for 4 -5 days. If I recall right, almost all his scenes ( except some scenes with his assistant played by Andy Serkis) were with the character played by Hugh ( at Tesla's mountain home and at the exhibit where he demonstrated the power of electricity). So Hugh must have also taken away some great memories of the brief encounter?

[jo]

He had time to sneak in a very promising new play ( People Places Things) in London --

Alistair Cope ‏@mrfattyc · 26m26 minutes ago

Hats off to @realhughjackman who just popped backstage to say 'well done'. A gent! Looking forward to #EddieTheEagle! #PeoplePlacesThings

Gemgems ‏@blueblue_onlyou · 48m48 minutes ago

Also from the onstage seating angle I saw that Hugh Jackman was in the audience. #celebspottingisimportant #andaskill

[jo]

Adam Jay Verified account  ‏@itsadam · 2h2 hours ago

I'm bummed @cynthiaerivo isn't in @bwaycolorpurple today. Bring on @heatherheadley! 🙌🏽 Here's hoping I'm sitting next to @realhughjackman 🤗

Btw, Cynthia Erivo was at the workshop for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN in February. Too bad Hugh and Deb missed her Tony-winning performance.

Jo

[jo]

Kyle Scatliffe is in the cast of COLOR PURPLE --

Kyle Scatliffe ‏@kylescatliffe · 15h15 hours ago

Its a good thing I didnt know Hugh Jackman was in the audience that whole show. I would've screamed "WOLVERINE!" and gotten fired.

LOL- even in a Broadway theatre environment, Hugh's fame as Wolverine is fully acknowledged

[jo]

Frank.Aviles ‏@faviles17 19m
19 minutes ago

Lol @realhughjackman right next to me at the Peter Brook Performance in Brooklyn. About to get this snap





Frank.Aviles ‏@faviles17 9m
9 minutes ago

lol he's sitting so close. I don't wanna ask for an autograph tho

Err ‏@erin_mics 20m
20 minutes ago

Hey um Hugh Jackman casually just walked into the theatre that my class is required to see a show in bye

This is about the play ( BattleField by Peter Brook) that Hugh was seen coming to see.

www.wsj.com/articles/peter-brook-brings-battlefield-to-bam-1474838322