"The Music Man" Rehearsals

[jo]

Great to see young talent being overjoyed at getting their chance to be on Broadway!

[jo]

I've seen tweets of some flying in from parts of Europe ( the UK, Germany, Spain & France) & Japan to see The Music Man, in some cases their first time to visit NYC!

Of course I am flying from even much further away ( halfway across the world from NYC)!

Hugh is a tourist draw

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

On the other hand, Warren (since Oklahoma!) and Patrick (since The Boy From Oz) may also find working with Hugh a real pleasure, given his professional discipline and personality.

I would even add his dialog coach, Jess Platt, as part of his longtime professional group (since Kate & Leopold?).


Jo

[jo]

broadwaynews.com/2021/10/28/the-music-man-announces-complete-broadway-cast/




That's Hugh at the back -- what is he doing back there


Are they looking at the set designs ??


Jo

[jo]

jo
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Broadway Legend
joined:5/15/03
Full Casting Announced For THE MUSIC MAN
#15
Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:12pm

Sutton Ross said: "The new focus on mental health and it being okay if you are feeling off call out might give more Max more time as leading man as many suspect. Also, Hugh hasn't been in a full out Broadway musical in 18 years so he might be calling out more for rest. I'm surprised they don't have an alternate but I guess he doesn't want to disappoint anyone."

But what a very busy and active time for Hugh after he ended his TheBoyFromOz run --

*Hugh is very athletic (school athlete in track/swim/rugby) and is known to ski(snow), play tennis, golf, a lot of watersports ( his last Instagram story when he announced that rehearsals will start on Oct 28 showed him coming out of the water by his Hampton seaside home even when the weather was bad).

*He has a very strong sense of discipline ( he was performing with a foot stress fracture in the last few months of BoyFromOz - icing his foot before and after every performance) & never missed a show. Baz Luhrmann once said that he is the most disciplined and hardest working actor he has worked with.

*If you are not familiar with his film career -- since 18 years from TheBoyfromOz -- he has done so many films, in many cases with very difficult action scenes ( he once fainted while running up the mountain and "slashing" his enemies in Logan because the air got thinner - -but he actually prepared for it by doing dawn running up hilly places... in his last movie Reminiscence, he said he has never done such a long underwater action scene). He would also multi-task ( while filming Logan, he would spend weekends screen-testing leading ladies choices for GreatestShowman - a movie which was his passion project which involved him helping develop the songs in a series of workshop and act as uncredited producer. There was one year - 2006 - where 6 of his movies were released, meaning he worked very hard right after BoyFromOz closed. His other movies were mostly intense drama(Prisoners/Prestige/Fountain), action films (lots of XMen), dark comedy ( Bad Education) and even in lighthearted ones, he does some action scenes (Real Steel/Chappie/EddieEagle). He also found time to host the 2009 Oscars (which opening number won an Emmy) and the 2005/2014 Tonys.

He was in a film adaptation of a sung-through stage musical - Les Miserables for which he earned his Oscar nod. That was a relatively short shoot...and involved some overnight filming and takes-after-takes scenes. He won a Grammy for being principal soloist for The Greatest Showman ( a project that took almost 8 years to finally see the screen).

*His 90-show music tour before the pandemic involved performances across Europe, USA, Australia and shows in Canada, Mexico & New Zealand. Full houses at the London O2, Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl among others. The show was autobiographical and theatre-oriented, involving production numbers from his film/stage musicals as well music from his personal soundtrack. Right after the tour, he immediately went into filming a movie before the pandemic struck.

I understand why regular Broadway fans may also want to see an upcoming performer get a crack at stardom... but that would probably only happen for Max at very long odds. But the training he will undergo will not only be good for his biodata but also for further building up his triple-threat skills! So, not a wasted opportunity for being a standby to Hugh Jackman!

It is not good to wish that an actor in the theatre will miss one of his performances!

Besides, if Hugh cannot perform for a show, for some reason or another -- it is very likely that people (especially for those who paid premium seats presumably to see Jackman perform) will request refunds. Even more true for those who are flying in from other parts of the world to see him.

[jo]

Posted by a longtime BWW member ( since 2006) --

jacobsnchz14 said: "To believe a cast has this many people in it right after the pandemic! Lovely that they all have this job, but also a sentiment to the potential grandeur this production will have. Curious as to how many musicians there will be."

I fully agree with what he is expecting - that this will be a beautiful and grand revival.

He mentioned the orchestra... but will the finale also find another set of musicians joining in ( maybe alternating high school bands playing "76 Trombones" ?) -- or will the cast of 46 have to dress up and be the town orchestra itself ( ha - that will mean a tremendous costume change!)



Jo

[jo]

I looked around for any video clip featuring Hugh's STANDBY Max Clayton...and found this one with Vanessa Hudgens ( from High School Musical series with Zac Efron).

[jo]

Winthrop!

http://instagram.com/p/CVli7BtJQRz

[jo]

One of the most universally cherished treasures of the American musical theater, The Music Man was an instant smash hit when it premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including the prize for Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The original cast album held the number one position on the Billboard charts and stayed on the album charts for 245 weeks. The recording won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album. The Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the “great glories of American popular culture.”

Such a pedigree that Hugh Jackman et al have to measure up to!

The musical will be 65 years old when Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster lead the new revival!

Is the date for Opening Preview (December 20, 2022) for this new revival a nod to the show's original introduction to Broadway?


Jo

[jo]

Hugh's favorite comedic illustrator --

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Probably on his way to the Music Man rehearsals ?

[jo]

Remember when Hugh was a child his Mum used to say --

" Hugh - you don't have to stand on a chair to be noticed!"

[jo]

Will Kemp played the brother of Kate Beckinsale in Van Helsing.

[jo]

Taking a break from rehearsals --

http://instagram.com/p/CV1LUHsv728

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

**********************************

[jo]

A message from the past ...

but maybe this is why he is keen to return to Broadway now and then?

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Can't wait to see the production number for :


76


As well as to hear its song version in 3/4 time, aka " GOODNIGHT, MY SOMEONE!"