BROADWAY TO OZ -- Buzz, Audience Reactions, Official Reviews

[jo]

It looks like members of media have been invited to the dress rehearsal!

Here's an early reaction --

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=997760103580394

Kerry O'Brien Publicity
I just managed to get a sneak peak at Hugh Jackman's Broadway to Oz show.....anyone with tickets is in for a treat. Anyone without tickets should get one, pronto, details at Dainty Group

[jo]

www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/back-from-broadway-hugh-jackman-is-home-20151123-gl5r10.html

Back from Broadway, Hugh Jackman is home

DateNovember 23, 2015 - 5:47PM

Dewi Cooke





Hugh Jackman can't forget that once upon a time he wasn't considered much of a singer.

The memory that weekly singing lessons were written in to his Beauty and the Beast contract is still vivid for the Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated performer as he prepares for the opening night of a personal, autobiographical show filled with the lashings of the old razzle dazzle.

"Literally in my contract they paid for me to have singing lessons - I don't know many people in a lead role in a musical who had that," he says. "So it's taken me a while to get comfortable with singing and I am genuinely comfortable with it now."




Jackman's 20-year rise from Australian stage and screen actor to Hollywood celebrity is part of the history to be charted in his Broadway to Oz tour, starting in Melbourne on Tuesday.

It builds on his 2011 Back on Broadway outing at New York's Broadhurst Theatre in more ways than one: about one-third of the material, from traditional show tunes to an exclusive airing of music from an upcoming film about circus master PT Barnum, has changed; there's a bigger band and more dancers to fill the stage and, most notably, the scale is completely different. Whereas the Broadhurst's capacity was for about 1200 people, Rod Laver Arena will sit 13,000 for Jackman's four-show stint. Similar-sized venues are booked for Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.


It's not exactly up-close-and-personal although a 16x9 metre screen at the back of the stage helps bring the hugeness of Hugh back to a more relatable size.


"This feels intimate to me, weirdly. And I have performed here before with the Boy from Oz and that was always the big question for me, doing the Boy from Oz, of how intimate it could be. I think the key with that is not to make it too tight and too scripted and make it feel a little impromptu," he says.


His award-winning turn as Peter Allen makes an appearance on this Australian tour as does Allen's antithesis, the mutant hero Wolverine. But X-Men fans be warned: the Jackman you'll see is more jazz hands than sharpened claws.

In fact, this is a version of himself that Jackman has long wanted to bring back to home shores. To be sure there's the hip-wiggling, high-energy Jackman his Broadway fans will know, but there's also the skinny 14-year-old (aka "Sticks") from his Sydney youth that others may not have seen. Where he comes from is increasingly important to him and it's hard not to think of Jackman as the living embodiment of Peter Allen's I Still Call Australia Home, a number that tends to bring down the house for him.

"This is home and more and more I realise my heart is here," he says. "I've been an expat for many years, living overseas, but I think doing this show has really highlighted that side and how important it is. And how it was a big reason that this was on my bucket list. If, all goes OK I would love to take this to other parts of the world ... but I'm thrilled I get to create it here."

[jo]

http://instagr.am/p/-a7hB7RWxUOR_2-jAUuL7WebUjYFht7koNz-M0

Samantha Lyons ‏@samanthalyons29 · 8m8 minutes ago
Woo! So excited! Can't wait for @realhughjackman to come out! @rodlaverarena #Broadwaytooz

[jo]

Lively Twitter chatter from the "comped" crowd as they await the dress rehearsal

One can almost feel that the crowd has a little proprietorial attitude towards their favorite son ... Just like during the TBFO arena show -- I felt a little bit of an outsider in the crowd

I am not there now -- but the excitement is contagious, in a vicarious way!



Break a leg, Hugh and company!!


Jo

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/-bDTXuhQIE

[jo]

Samantha Lyons ‏@samanthalyons29 · 13m13 minutes ago
@realhughjackman serenading @deborra_Lee at #Broadwaytooz ?? #Relationshipgoals

[jo]

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/-bLUQkON2w

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/-bKABTPHwp

[jo]

Tully Smith ‏@tullysmith · 8m8 minutes ago
Amazing performance from @realhughjackman in #Melbourne tonight, just brilliant!

Tully Smith ‏@tullysmith · 2m2 minutes ago
@mattyhuss @realhughjackman you will not be disappointed, entire show is sensational

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/-bR8jMnqWB

[jo]

It seems the crowd at the dress rehearsal were related to charity organizations and affiliates, not the media as I earlier speculated ( I think they might have had an earlier meet and greet session with Hugh). According to a tweet from Tully Miller, Hugh had made the decision to benefit the charity organizations for this "rehearsal show" before the gala night tomorrow.

What a splendid human being!


Jo

[mamaleh]

Ah, they're unfurling the flag over the center seats again. Great pix, Jo--thanks!

Ellen

[jo]

I think this is meant for Opening Night, November 24!

http://instagram.com/p/-ba4E2ChKA

[jo]

Back to dress rehearsal moments --

http://instagram.com/p/-bbt4iO4HH

Was that outfit the answer to the gold/gold/gold on Back on Broadway, I wonder


Jo

[jo]

From a tweeter who referred to the theme of " reconciliation through culture" from the show --




Sorry, I am having difficulties reproducing tweets now. Check out all the tweets -- they are heartwarming to read!

twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=news&q=hugh%20jackman&src=typd



Jo

[jo]

www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/charityinspired-hugh-jackman-takes-broadway-to-oz-show-to-melbournes-most-needy-and-deserving/news-story/c9f73a495b9ed8e4c080833841c8e7b0

The article allows reading= only- once privilege - so I cannot reproduce it after reading it for the first time.

Here's a photo from the dress rehearsal night --




Jo

[jo]

[jo]

From tweeter Wade Taylor --









He also posted a brief video clip of Hugh dancing --

twitter.com/hashtag/dancemoves?src=hash

[jo]

Warren Carlyle posts a brief video clip ( I Still Call Australia Home) --

twitter.com/carlylewarren/media

[jo]

[jo]

A tweeter posts another brief video clip ( check out the Australian flag unfurling over the center audience) --

twitter.com/itsjustalyson/media


And another one from the same scene --

http://instagram.com/p/-bbY8yi47K

[jo]

Yikes!!



He's used to wire work for film-making...and he was once brought down from the roof for TBFO arena, but...

[jo]

And he goes to Rio

http://instagram.com/p/-bbXwaHDp8

It looks like the color palette for the show is red/black/silver/slate grey -- which distinguishes it from the arena show and Broadway's TBFO and Back on Broadway!

Jo

[jo]

A treasure trove of instagram clips from nickyp75 --

instagram.com/nickyp75/



I Still Call Australia Home

http://instagram.com/p/-bbY8yi47K

Tenterfield Saddler

http://instagram.com/p/-bOoITC42f

Was this the dramatic entrance

http://instagram.com/p/-bMwW-C4zu

http://instagram.com/p/-bLm2rC4yh