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

[jo]

Craig Williams ‏@craigwilly · 8m8 minutes ago
@wendy67au and I off to see @realhughjackman I don't care what gay songs he's doing we get to see Wolverine up close !!!!!

Lol -- Fanboys will be fanboys emoticon-cartoon-020

[jo]

There are two shows today in Brisbane - matinee and evening performances!

People have been raving about the previous night performance no end!

[jo]

He's not just a triple threat...not just a performer...he's a real showman smiley-bounce016

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/-6asn0A2Om

[jo]

bluecurtainsbris.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/bringing-back-broadway-jackman/

Bringing back Broadway Jack(man)

Posted on December 6, 2015


Hugh Jackman: Broadway to Oz (Dainty Group)

Brisbane Entertainment Centre

December 5 – 6

Australians adore Hugh Jackman and his new concert “Hugh Jackman: Broadway to Oz” shows why. Those who know him only as X-Men’s ripped mutant Wolverine with retractable claws may, he notes, be in for a long night, for before all of that, the now superstar actor was a Tony Award winning musical theatre star, which is what the concert serves to showcase.

Jackman is a consummate performer whose energy never wanes, from the moment he is literally catapulted on stage to sing the opening number ‘Forever for You’. And when he embarks on a medley of Broadway standards, he shows what a multi-talented performer he is, tapping his way through a lively ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. Indeed, dance numbers are a real highlight, full of jazz hands and booty shaking. And the man can sing, as seen in the show’s “Les Miserables” mega-mix, the film version of which secured him an Academy Award nomination.


Musical choices suit the accompanying, accomplished orchestra of 35 musicians with numbers such as ‘L-O-V-E’ and ‘Just the Way You Look Tonight’ (crooned in dedication to wife Deborra-Lee Furness). Tribute is also paid to Jackman’s father through dedication of Billy’s ‘Soliloquy’ on impending fatherhood from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel” and some genuinely touching stories. Through such anecdotes, Jackman shows a wonderful talent for telling a tale. And humour sits comfortably within his industry stories of career turning points and important phone calls, including some noted name-dropping.

During Act One, Jackman is often alone on stage, however, when he is joined, it is to effect in the rousing ‘This Is Me’ from the upcoming (2017) movie “The Greatest Showman on Earth’, the story of P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros, where he declares his mantra that differences should be celebrated not shamed.

When Jackman literally flies back into the arena for Act Two it is as Peter Allen, in recreation of the Broadway bio-show “The Boy from Oz” for which he won that Tony. The highlight medley of iconic Allen tunes culminates in a joyful ‘I Go To Rio’ and is reprised with a moving, anthemic ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ later in the show.

Jackman’s love of the country is clear. From the lighter notes of ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ in Act One, the second Act develops with discussion of his life-changing outback experiences, in his youth and on the set of Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia”, which broaden into a moving crossover between musical theatre and Indigenous song and dance from the indigenous collective Nomad Two Worlds, an art project designed to forge reconciliation though culture. The move from didjeridoo backing to a quiet rendition of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ is faultless and beautiful, thanks also to its bush scenery backdrop images.


Jackman’s self-admitted ‘I’ll have a go’ mantra means that he can sing, act and dance with the best of them. Whether stripped back or dripping with razzle dazzle, glitter camp, each number is infectiously joyous thanks to his musical talent, easy charm and a natural likeability that can foster an intimate rapport with a 10 000 strong audience. When it comes to showmen, you don’t get much showier than the Jackman of “From Broadway to Oz” and Australian musical audiences are surely glad to have the show and the man back on home soil.

"that differences should be celebrated not shamed."


Because of its theme, THIS IS ME has great potential to become a popular culture hit song!



Jo

[jo]

The choreography seems to have been modified...it even reminds me a little of his Fosse-like dance moves for the Legs Diamond number in the arena tour of TBFO!


Jo

[jo]

The banter between Hugh and Russell --





"I am so proud of you!"


We join you, Russell! You're not so bad yourself with your film work


Jo

[jo]

It looks like he changed some of the featured images --

[hughmanity]

[jo]

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE --

check out the video link from Craig Griffin's twitter account:

twitter.com/craiggriffin_/media

[jo]

What's the difference between action movies and musicals

[hughmanity]

Great extended clip of Hugh in Peter Allen segment

[hughmanity]

She heard the stories for the first time, but shares her enthusiasm! 

blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2015/12/071215-hugh-jackman-performed-in-brisbane-over-the-weekend-loretta-ryan-reviews-his-performance--1.html

[jo]

Valjean's Soliloquy.

[jo]

Hugh meets the cast of Les Miserables-Australia who came to see him at Broadway to Oz!

Les Mis Australia ‏@lesmisoz · 50m50 minutes ago
@patricetipoki @haydentee @laramulcahy @elangridge89 meet the @realhughjackman @brisbaneentcent What a thrill!

[jo]

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 34m34 minutes ago
#BroadwayToOz

Hugh's Photo Album!

[jo]

LOL!

[jo]

First concert in Adelaide tomorrow ( Dec 10).

[jo]

The movie's Jean Valjean meets Gavroche from Les Mis Australia!

[jo]

The clips are getting better - almost professionally done, especially those coming from Brisbane




FOREVER FOR YOU / GOTTA DANCE / L-O-V-E







L-O-V-E --







JUST THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT --









Sorry, this is the best that I can do for a clip of THIS IS ME --


katch.me/fawnfatinky/v/9cb54c02-8cbe-3390-85e4-74a0edd095d2





EDIT: This clip was uploaded more recently --








VALJEAN'S SOLILOQUY --








I DREAMED A DREAM --









ONE DAY MORE --







MOVIE MUSICALS --









THE BOY FROM OZ --







I GO TO RIO --








"PETER ALLEN" SIDELIGHTS --








TENTERFIELD SADDLER --








I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE --










SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW --







I STILL CALL AUSTRALIA HOME --








MACK THE KNIFE --









ONCE BEFORE I GO --









SPECIAL GUESTS --

ANDY AND HAMISH






THE CONFRONTATION with RUSSELL CROWE --

[jo]

Check out Hugh's arrival video in Adelaide --

twitter.com/7NewsAdelaide/media

[jo]

[njr]

"Les Miserable" duet!

Nancy

[jo]

Adelaide reviews BROADWAY TO OZ --

www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/arts/hugh-proves-himself-a-true-jackman-of-all-trades-in-broadway-to-oz/story-fni6um8e-1227641362160?sv=d47f0f45df7eacf650262c989467d4e

Hugh proves himself a true Jackman of all trades in Broadway to Oz
December 10, 2015 10:19pm
PATRICK McDONALDChief Arts Writer


A deep hum filled the auditorium and the stage lights dimmed as Hugh Jackman’s silhouette grew larger on the big screen and his booming, disembodied voice sang out in the dark: “I waited forever for you”.


The sentiment was clearly mutual when the Australian actor sprang from a concealed trapdoor on to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre stage for the first time in nine years, and the 9000-strong crowd simultaneously erupted with a deafening cheer.

The Wolverine star might not have bared his claws but Jackman bared both his heart and soul in a jam-packed extravaganza which was designed to showcase the depth and diversity of his talents.

It takes a special kind of charisma for one person to hold a full arena’s attention, essentially alone on stage for the better part of two hours, and Jackman simply oozes that charm and magnetism.


Hugh Jackman in Broadway to Oz. Photo credit: James Morgan

His opening number grew into an energetic African tribal rhythm as a dozen-and-a-half backing singers and dancers joined him in an elaborate, machismo-laden routine, backed by an orchestra that knew how to groove as elegantly as it could swing.

Jackman’s Broadway to Oz is a classic song-and-dance show, right down themed medleys of standards — the likes of which haven’t really been seen much since the heyday of variety television.



A “dance” bracket flowed from Broadway Rhythm Ballet through Shall We Dance and Begin the Beguine, then Shake Your Booty and Oklahoma to That’s Entertainment, complete with high kicks.

Similarly, I Happen to Like New York rolled into On Broadway and the Lullaby of Broadway.

There were nods to Australia, too, with a tongue-twisting I’ve Been Everywhere, a clever reworking of Over The Rainbow and, later, a moving celebration of indigenous music and the Australian Girls Choir-backed I Still Call Australia Home.


Hugh the likeable larrikin was also evident in abundance.

He quickly located audience member Jack Reynolds, who had tweeted a photo of his T-shirt which read “Mum said if I came I would see Wolverine — Where is he?’’, and made constant call-outs to him through the night.


Hugh Jackman in Broadway to Oz. Photo credit: James Morgan

It was when Jackman fully immersed himself in a character, however, that he won rousing ovations. His rendition of Soliloquy from Carousel ran through the full gamut of emotions, while his selections from Les Miserables brought the first half to a rousing climax.


To top this, he arrived for the second half flying on a rig above the audience, wearing a silver jacket and pants that made him look like a human mirrorball, before descending to the stage for an uber-camp medley of Peter Allen tunes.

Discarding the maracas and pineapple-sequined shirts, he paid more serious tribute to The Boy from Oz on the classic Tenterfield Saddler.

In between, Jackman shared stories and photos of his family and career, paid exhaustive tribute to his wife, tapped up a storm on a red latex rendition of Singing In The Rain and even showed some Sinatra-style swagger.

In short, he’s a Jackman of all trades.

Tickets are still available for the Friday and Saturday performances from Ticketek.

Hugh Jackman — Broadway to Oz

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

[jo]