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

[jo]

It looks like there was a Part 2 to the Russell guest appearance on the show --











He is one serious musician!

[jo]

[jo]

"SongforDad" hashtag -- presumably The Soliloquy from CAROUSEL?

[jo]

[jo]

At the airport -- from Adelaide to Perth ?

http://instagram.com/p/_NwuEnMj3MLNJ9wgLPKfYO95F4fnJVEUfPVsU0

[jo]

Some very good videos from Nicolle Goodes --

www.facebook.com/nicolle.goodes



Billy Bigelow's SOLILOQUY is the best-acted song so far in the concert! But I am not sure which version that I have seen ( live, online, and filmed ) appeals most to me --

*from the grainy images ( but relatively good sound) of the Carnegie Hall concert, and uploaded on YouTube --this is the version where he looked most like Billy! A real handsome rake!

*from the unofficial clip from Back on Broadway - that ringing performance tells me how much he would have wanted to do the film adaptation.

*from his live performances onstage ( 4 times in SanFrancisco and 5 times on Broadway for me) - what can I say? Especially if one is seated no further away than 3rd row or front box in all those performances ( a few on front row and that is really a bonus for song portrayals like this where the acting aspects are as important as the actual singing). But one in particular was very memorable. I was seated next to a senior New York couple who turned out to be regular theatregoers. The husband shared this : " We have seen many revivals of CAROUSEL. But in all the years of theatergoing, this is the best interpretation I have ever heard of THE SOLILOQUY!"

*this filmed performance in Adelaide. Somehow,  where it feels like a personal retrospective for Hugh, especially in how he delivers the performance...and perhaps the one with the most personal meaning, because he is home!


I had not been drawn to the character of Billy ...and even more so to that of Curly, when I had seen the two musicals as film adaptations. No offense meant -- Gordon McRae has a beautiful voice but the acting skills were not noteworthy and almost shallow. It was when Hugh gave us a truly charming Curly ( with a naughty streak) that I had first appreciated the hero of Oklahoma!. It was also his Carnegie Hall role portrayal which made me appreciate the character of the brash Billy whose repentance almost came too late. Hugh added the acting highlights that made the character come to life!


The SOLILOQUY from CAROUSEL has been voted many times as the best male aria in musical theatre!




The abbreviated clip here of THIS IS ME probably does not do it full justice, because it does not include the first lines of lyrics that establishes the character. It is obviously not referring to P.T.Barnum, upon closer inspection of their significance but the entire lyrics demonstrate how a song can not only establish character but advance the story as well. But the song can contend as one of the best staged numbers in the concert!

It is still a long wait for us to finally see how the movie musical will stand up to expectations. But if this is a very good sample from the musical score, then I feel very optimistic!



Jo

[hughmanity]

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3357968/Hugh-Jackman-departs-Adelaide-Perth-daughter-Ava-selling-three-shows-South-Australian-capital.html

[hughmanity]

The first act!  

[JH4HJ]

Dec 13, 2015 23:47:50 GMT -5 hughmanity said:

The first act!  

EXCELLENT! I'm capturing it now. Thank you very much!

[jo]

<Thx> <Thx> <Thx>

Download completed successfully!


Jason Hill says the second part is coming in a few days


Jo

[jo]

Excellent clip of FOREVER FOR YOU --





More!

[jo]

Another excellent clip ( from Adelaide) -- Just The Way You Look Tonight!






Hugh asked the person to video the song ( was he videoing earlier ?) for Deb


Jo

[jo]

OMGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am glad I read each and every word of this review from Perth ( I thought it would just be reprising other words of praise from Melbourne to Sydney to Brisbane and Adelaide)


www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/hugh-jackmans-broadway-to-oz-shows-love-for-wa-at-perth-arena/news-story/cf0c9f17e8e7f05063c20b13055f4c6a#load-story-comments

Hugh Jackman’s Broadway to Oz shows love for WA at Perth Arena
51 minutes ago
ANTHONY DE CEGLIEPerthNow




I WOULD like to dedicate this review to my wife Sarah.


We’ve been married seven months. She is my rock, my inspiration and my best friend.

Sorry… I know that was an odd way to start the review, but anyone who has seen Hugh Jackman’s Broadway to Oz would understand.

The show is a non-stop tour de force by the Australian actor whose versatility means he is as famous for playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise as he is for playing Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.

The show is also a little odd.

It’s as if Jackman has fulfilled the fantasy of not only being the subject of a This Is Your Life special, but also playing the host and even the special guests.

There’s the home photos he shares with the audience, including a picture of himself as a gangly 14-year-old who attracted nicknames like “Sticks” and “Worm”.

There are the anecdotes about several life-changing phone calls from people like Steven Spielberg, which all seem to end in Jackman saying he’ll “give it a go”.

There’s a giant Australian flag that gets rolled out over the audience.



Hugh Jackman’s love for Western Australia, and his wife, was a big part of his stage show Broadway to Oz. Photo: James Morgan.

Clips from his most significant movies flash up on the big screen like a show reel.

And there’s the monologue about the undying love he has for his wife Deborra-Lee Furness before he dedicates a rendition of Just The Way You Look Tonight while pictures of her over the years flash in the background.

During this part it feels like you’re a third wheel with the pair during an intimate anniversary dinner.

Jackman jokingly mocks the males in the audience, suggesting making their wives a cup of tea at the end of the night probably won’t stack up to his public display of affection.

Yet, despite all this, the show is a resounding success that never crosses the line into vanity project.


Jackman chose to finish the tour in Perth with a second show at Perth Arena on Wednesday night. Photo: James Morgan

A packed Perth Arena crowd loved every minute of Tuesday night’s performance.


Jackman moves seamlessly between a host of songs from famous musicals like Guys and Dolls, The King and I and Singin’ in the Rain.

A medley from Les Miserable to close the first act was hair-raising stuff.

The opening of the second act, with Jackman in full character as Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz, is a riot.

And the truth is the anecdotes about his life in between the dancing and high notes are genuinely stirring.

Did you know he auditioned (seven times over nine months) for Wolverine while in London performing the role of Curly in Oklahoma! at the Royal National Theatre?

Refreshingly, Jackman has also never forgotten the big role Western Australia has played in his life and success.


He chose Perth as the location to film the show. And he is finishing his tour in Perth tonight.



There are also many shout outs to his three years as a student at the WA Academy of Performing Arts – to which he said he owes his career.

And there is a big section of the show dedicated to indigenous Australians and the beauty of remote areas of our state like Kununurra.

Reviews from his performances in other cities have suggested Jackman’s voice lets him down in some parts and that this triple-threat comes across as an actor and dancer first and then a singer.

Yet, the voice of the Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony Award winner seemed perfect the whole night.

Broadway to Oz is probably the best advertisement that will ever be made for why anybody wanting to be a future star of our stage and screen should enrol at WAAPA.

Either that or Jackman’s astonishing talent will scare most hopefuls away from ever auditioning to the prestigious school.

Hope the news of filming the show is true!!!


...and that the filming of the show is intended for a DVD/BluRay release!!


smiley-happy036 smiley-excited001 <cheer> smiley-bounce016

[jo]

Btw, there is an excellent video interview embedded in the article -- please click on the link!


Sorry, sometimes the link won't work ( even the google alert link was troublesome) -- but if you get a new search using "perth.com.au hugh jackman broadway to oz" you might be as lucky as I was.


Jo

[JH4HJ]

Dec 15, 2015 19:41:25 GMT -5 jo said:

Btw, there is an excellent video interview embedded in the article -- please click on the link!

Sorry, sometimes the link won't work (even the google alert link was troublesome) -- but if you get a new search using "perth.com.au hugh jackman broadway to oz" you might be as lucky as I was.

I can't snag the video to imbed it here, but I think this is the interview/article you mean.

[jo]

Yes, thanks!


Jo

[jo]

Hugh signs autographs outside his Perth hotel --

[mamaleh]

Great digging, Valerie. Thanks!

Ellen

[jo]

The finale show of BROADWAY TO OZ --





Where will Hugh take the show next ?


Jo

[jo]

Hugh says Thanks!

http://instagram.com/p/_W5yxgihHO

Hugh Jackman Verified account  ‏@realhughjackman · 5h5 hours ago
THANK YOU AUSTRALIA! #BroadwayToOz #ThatIsAWrap #youknowwhoyouare

[JH4HJ]

Dec 13, 2015 23:47:50 GMT -5 hughmanity said:

The first act!  

Here's Act Two - "Peter" really knows how to make an entrance! smiley-happy036

[jo]

I'm downloading this now -- even if there are synchronization issues between audio and video.

Hope the person who filmed and uploaded it can correct the problem ( someone mentioned it on the feedback section).


Jo

[jo]

It's really a WRAP !!


www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3363385/Hugh-Jackman-trades-dazzling-suits-casual-wear-ending-Australian-Broadway-Oz-tour.html


Hugh and Ava and Irv leave their hotel in Perth...and probably heading to where the Jackmans will spend their holiday season!


Jo

[jo]

Another Perth review ( Thanks to the link from Jackman's Landing) which mentions that the show in Perth was/would be filmed

tomstalktime.tumblr.com/post/135359323777/fit-with-a-30-piece-orchestra-and-a-13000-strong

Fit with a 30-piece orchestra and a 13,000 strong crowd, popular Perth export Hugh Jackman proved he was a master showman as he glided through a string of hits that have catapulted him onto the stage over a versatile two-decade career.


Fittingly, he chose Perth to film and to close the ‘Broadway to Oz’ tour, which saw him perform right across the country. It’s nothing short of inspiring to remember that he was once a student at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and a barman at the Perth Entertainment Centre - and he certainly makes note of it throughout the show.


The 47-year-old star showed off an extravaganza, fit with impeccable dancing and musical numbers exclusive to Broadway. His unprecedented skill to entertain shone through as he transformed into a range of roles he’s portrayed throughout his career. Whether he was high-kicking and twirling around in a sequined outfit high above the stage during his rendition as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, offering a stellar tribute of Just The Way You Look Tonight to the love of his life, his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, performing a medley of the incomparable Les Miserables, or morphing into his critically acclaimed character of Wolverine, Hugh was electric and undoubtedly dedicated to his craft.


The show featured several anecdotes surrounding his rise to fame and recounts of moments that have changed his life. If it wasn’t for his profound authenticity, his humble delivery and his unconditional love for his parents and fellow graduates, it may have been viewed as self-indulgent; however, his unwavering love of WA, as well as his praise for the Australian outback and Indigenous culture, accompanied with a unique and traditional Noongar performance alongside a raft of Indigenous musicians added a welcomed and genuine touch.


The show was jam-packed and lasted for two-and-a-half hours with a 20-minute interval. Unique camera close-ups aided his impressive delivery as an award-winning film actor which, when colliding with the magic, fanfare and tremendously big notes that his musical theatre performance has to offer, a transcendent and spine-tingling delivery takes place across the entire arena.

His patriotism is evident during the iconic “I Still Call Australia Home” which featured the QANTAS choir and saw an immense Australian flag soar above the audience. It’s no doubt that Hugh is at the top of his game and works as a solid triple threat. It’s astonishing, yet so rewarding to think of his sensational progression from a boy who grew up in the outback to a man who is nothing short of a world class superstar. Thankfully, if the standing ovation and squeals of delight are anything to go by, it looks like we’ve still got a lot more Hugh Jackman charm to look forward to for many years to come.

[jo]