The Music Man : In Performance!

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The final battle!

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TIME LEFT...
10d :21h :12m
May.10, 07:03 pm EDT


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$750
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$500


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Next minimum bid: $850

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www.facebook.com/watch/?v=581747152945312&aggr_v_ids[0]=581747152945312¬if_id=1651316938754814¬if_t=watch_follower_video&ref=notif

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ENTERTAINMENT
Commentary: Are Broadway megastars obsolete? Not as long as Hugh Jackman and Patti LuPone are around
Published 6 seconds ago on May 2, 2022By
LA TimesCommentary: Are Broadway megastars obsolete? Not as long as Hugh Jackman and Patti LuPone are around


Broadway stars can be seen as extinct creatures from a bygone era of entertainment. But reports of the eradication of this species have been greatly exaggerated.

Right now on Broadway, two nuclear-powered performers with enthusiastic theatrical followings shine brightly in classic American musicals. Even in the midst of a pandemic, one can cause an earthquake in ticket sales; the other can go viral by touring her basement, snatching a cell phone from an audience member, or simply being the subject of a hilarious broadcast.

Hugh Jackman stars in “The Music Man” at the Winter Garden Theater in a production built entirely around his overwhelming charisma and box office muscle. His opponent, two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, is prominent on the tent. But when Jackman appears on Broadway, he is the sun around which all other celestial bodies revolve.

Patti LuPone is not the lead in the new “Company” revival at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater. Katrina Lenk plays Bobbie in the gender-swapped version of this Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical, directed by Marianne Elliott. But there is no confusion about who the public is there to see. Even when LuPone is simply playing with the ensemble, her appeal is as irrefutable as a law of nature.

Jackman, a film idol and showman who rose to international fame playing Curly in Trevor Nunn’s Royal National Theater production of “Oklahoma!”, and LuPone, a Juilliard-trained actor whose Broadway coronation dates back to her Tony-winning tour de force in “Evita,” have taken several paths to stardom. Jackman is a global brand; LuPone is more of an artisanal specialty. But when they make their stage entrances, the applause is equally thunderous.

The relationship an audience has with a Broadway star is all the more intense to be personal. Knowing a body in space, the parabolas of certain gestures, the side angles of expressions, the timbre of a joke, the mood of a certain style give an illusion of kinship. What is shared is not blood but theatrical time, a meaningful measure of life.

I’ve been lucky enough to see LuPone in some major musicals (“Gypsy,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Anything Goes”), and was eager to catch her in “Company.” The adventurous production was of course a big draw. But I was dying to see what she would do with Joanne, the role originated by Elaine Stritch, who long owned the character’s sour second act number, “The Ladies Who Lunch.”

Jackman may not have the Broadway longevity of LuPone, but he’s too much of an insider to be treated like a Hollywood tapestry. The Australian superstar, world famous for playing Wolverine in the “X-Men” franchise, won a Tony for playing Peter Allen in “The Boy From Oz”, received a special Tony for his contributions to the Broadway community and received an Emmy Award for hosting the Tonys, a service he has performed with confidence several times.

Broadway star power the size of Jackman or LuPone cannot be hidden under a bushel. But deploying something bigger than a star vehicle can be tricky when theater patrons clamor for a repair from their idol.

Jerry Zaks’ determinedly sunny production of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” is content to serve as an assignment between a megastar and his legion of fans. Orchestral seats, which retail for over $600, might as well be marketed as honeymoon suites for this Broadway return.

Jackman plays Harold Hill, the con man who fools the good citizens of River City, Iowa, into believing he can transform their untrained youths into a professional marching band. ‘Professor’ Hill leans in with a frenzied theory, claiming that practice is no longer necessary to master a musical instrument.

Before being exposed as a con man, he wants to sit on the train to his next destination with the costs for uniforms and lessons safely in his possession. Suspicious, morally upright and strikingly single Marian (an oddly muted Foster) sees through his charlatanism, but she is moved by the warmth of his act and the positive effect it has on her community.

In an era when a snake oil salesman could run for president, “The Music Man” seems ripe for deconstruction. But this production is too eager to please to bother with Donald Trump’s dark shadow.

The impetus seems to be to celebrate that we are back in the theater. Zaks, who scored a huge success with the 2017 mood-enhancing revival of “Hello, Dolly!” starring Bette Midler, indulges the sentimental heart of “The Music Man” by allowing Jackman to turn Harold Hill into a completely rambunctious, utterly lovable, versatilely entertaining crook.

Sparking like a Roman candle, Jackman turns the character into a romantic hero who needs only the love of a good woman to set him on the right path. It’s not a particularly sharp interpretation – there’s little chance that restless Harold will settle for good in River City – but it allows a born charmer to peruse his riotous repertoire.

The production is swooning over Jackman—and for good reason. The words “fighting trim” don’t do justice to his condition. The lines on his face may be a little more pronounced, but they appear (along with the rest) to have been sculpted by Michelangelo. Dressed as a drum major in gleaming white for the finale, Jackman was able to outdo a fairytale prince.

His nasal-sounding baritone may be the only lethal thing about him. But even if his voice starts to fray, he looks like he can tap dance all night. No one can say that he does not deserve his worship. After an exhausting performance, he spent a few thousand more calories raising money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Still, I was one of the few who didn’t come expressly for “The Hugh Jackman Show.” “The Music Man” has never been one of my favorite American musicals, but I was curious what could be done with this old chestnut at a time when crooks threaten to take over the world.

Jackman is a generous performer and clearly has as much affection for his fellow ensemble members as he does for his audience. But if everyone in the production shone as brightly as he does, the lights in the theater would go out.

Marian is the opposite of a showboat, but Foster mutes her aura more than necessary. If she doesn’t seem ideally cast, it might be because the music tracks require a soprano with a higher range than she can accommodate.

“Till There Was You,” the song Marian sings after she (despite her better judgment) succumbed to Harold’s seductive spell, is still beautiful. But Foster’s psychology is obscure. The only revelation is that Jackman is irresistible.

Marian, honey, get in line.




Elliott’s production of “Company” is a much more rigorous rethink. The revival is not about LuPone, although for the simple reason of her virtuosity she becomes the hub.

Her LuPone-ness is no more erasable than Jackman’s Jackman-ness. At least she’s gotten more comfortable with her Broadway divinity. But her reverence for Sondheim enhances her talents. She makes herself bigger by submitting to a musical vision bigger than herself.

There has been some debate about the effectiveness of turning Bobby, the marriage-averse 35-year-old male lead, into Bobbie, a 35-year-old woman who is just as much of a commitment phobe. I’m not sure if casting alone can make such a significant shift without more extensive rewrites.

As heresy as it may be to say that “Company” could use an adjustment. Bobby/Bobbie remains a question mark and Lenk’s permanent sphinx-esque smile only makes the character more frustratingly blurry. Furth’s book is lumpy, and again I found myself in a revival of “Company” wishing we could fast-forward to the unerringly brilliant musical numbers.

This 1970s show belongs to the era in which it originated, but Elliott’s adaptation is in temporary limbo. Gay marriage is the law of the land and Bobbie is swiping through photos on her phone, but the NYC bachelorette party still seems to smell like smoky bachelorette bars and divorce carries the heavy stigma of yesteryear.

However, when the cast is in full musical swing, all these nagging issues fall by the wayside. Actors and audience come together comfortably in the theatrical present.

LuPone has two big numbers, both of which anatomize the ambivalence of married life: “The Little Things You Do Together” in the first act and “The Ladies Who Lunch” in the second. She also rides around with the chorus of Bobbie’s counseling friends, becoming one with the music and a generational bridge that leads straight to Sondheim.

For ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’, LuPone sits on a barstool in a white fur coat with a drink in her hand and vicious mischief in her eyes. Her defiant silence exerts a gravitational pull. Never has anyone delivered cynicism with such sedentary dazzle. But more than that, she clarifies the intent of the song. Joanne doesn’t want her unmarried boyfriend to sacrifice the lonely freedom of singleness for the double-edged sword of marriage.

LuPone’s rendition of the song overshadows the finale that follows. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wishing “Being Alive” was reassigned to Joanne so we could find out what LuPone would do with this Sondheim song about the painful need for human connection. But that would be against the mind of a Broadway star who is at heart an ensemble trouper dedicated to artistic growth.



With his miraculous gifts, Jackman deserves a production that will challenge him rather than spoil him. No one at “The Music Man” could have felt cheated by his dynamic performance. But Broadway stardom of its caliber is too precious to squander on a star turn.

Charles McNulty is the theater critic of the Los Angeles Times. He received his doctorate in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism from the Yale School of Drama.

[jo]

Zaks, who scored a huge success with the 2017 mood-enhancing revival of “Hello, Dolly!” starring Bette Midler, indulges the sentimental heart of “The Music Man” by allowing Jackman to turn Harold Hill into a completely rambunctious, utterly lovable, versatilely entertaining crook.

*No comparison with how Preston interpreted the role, simply stating how Hugh gave his own portrayal focus

*Acknowledges that it was part of Zaks's creative vision.


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/CdGWVv7ubEA

[jo]

In case the original cast of kids may no longer be with the show beyond a certain date.

Since they started performing on Dec 20, 2021, June 19 will be the end of the 6-month contract.

May 4, 2022 19:53:47 GMT -5 jo said:

June 19!

I have also seen one of the other child performers saying that she will be in London in June. Also, there was also a recent audition call for child performers.


I wonder if child labor laws require a maximum length in contracts for children working in the theatre? Also, there has been mention of a maximum height requirement.

Or is JT not assuming that contracts will be extended?

This is such a great group of child performers!

(Glad I will be able to catch what might be their last days in the show in June ?).

Jo

[jo]

Apr 29, 2022 20:44:43 GMT -5 jo said:

What is notable is the period covered!

Dates
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‘The Music Man’s Warren Carlyle: Why He Didn’t Refer To Original ’50s Choreo For Hugh Jackman Revival

Warren Carlyle's choreography in the Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster-led 'Music Man' revival is unparalleled and filled with incredible storytelling.

By: Ali Stagnitta
May 4, 2022 5:42PM EDT
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The Music Man was one of the most highly-anticipated and buzzed about musicals opening on Broadway throughout the pandemic. And once the marquee lights shined again, it made its grand opening lead by two beloved stars, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. The musical which first came to Broadway in 1957 sticks to the classic canon of a Golden Age hit — the costumes, the lyrics, the storyline, the music. However, the choreography, done by Warren Carlyle, becomes an entire role on its own within the show.



“I wanted it to be really original. When you approach the revival, you can either choose to follow in the footsteps or choose to approach it like it’s brand new, and for Music Man, I just wanted it to be new,” Warren told HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview as part of the Tony Contenders series. “Casting the kids was a huge deal. A huge deal, and it literally took us years to get it right. They’re wonderful and dance like maniacs!”


Hugh Jackman in ‘The Music Man’. (Photo by Ali Stagnitta)

He continued, “It does something to the point of view. It forces a childlike wonder upon everything because they see things in a very different way than us adults do. And they actually just loved it. I loved their point of view. I loved having them in the room. They were and are just magnificent.”

Warren revealed that it took “over three years” to “really hone in on the choreography.” “’76 Trombones’ probably took me five days to create initially because it is incredibly complex, extremely layered, and we have a cast of 46 people,” he said. “There’s nine minutes of new dance music, and there are a lot of elements that are really new and that take a lot of work to get right.”


So much has changed since 1957 when The Music Man originally premiered on Broadway, especially the modernization of women. “This generation of theatregoers receives information differently. We perceive women differently.[ Sutton revolutionizes this role of Marian. She’s not a vapid victim, she’s a wonderful, highly intelligent, very strong woman, and none of that existed in the previous version. So I was happy to be involved in something really quite original,” Warren told HL.



As for Hugh, Warren, who has worked with the multi-hyphenate on multiple projects through the years, he said he “wanted him to be as comfortable as possible.” “He’s such a fine actor and I wanted his head out of the steps, and that’s what the repetition really helped with. He’s so incredibly free and he’s dancing better than he’s ever danced,” the choreographer gushed. “That was my wish, just to deliver him to a place where he was just wildly comfortable and wildly free. It looks like Harold Hill is coming up with the steps, not Warren Carlyle, it’s unique to him.”

[jo]

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Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Spring Campaign Raises $4,288,994
By SJ Arnegger
May 5, 2022

Photo: Rebecca J. Michelson




Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ traditional in-theater red bucket fundraising concluded its long-awaited return with 40 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring productions raising $4,288,994 to provide meals and medication, health care and hope for those living with HIV/AIDS, dealing with COVID-19 or facing other debilitating illnesses.

Broadway Cares’ Spring Fundraising Campaign took place over a six-week period starting on March 18, 2022, and ending last Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Broadway’s The Music Man raised $2,071,806 and set an all-time record in a single campaign for any show in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS history. Energized by stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, the show reached that total through exhilarating post-show auctions of Jackman- and Foster-signed costume gloves and Jackman’s prop whistles, plus sales of posters autographed by the entire cast. The auctions’ extraordinary success was led by cast members Nicholas Ward and Ann Sanders.

The post-show audience appeals and iconic #RedBuckets had been absent from stages and theaters since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the industry in March 2020.

“Audiences and shows alike greeted the careful and strategic return this spring to a full fundraising campaign with such enthusiasm,” Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola said. “Throughout the six weeks, productions graciously joined in the effort. In addition to extraordinary cast support, we extend our sincere thanks to theater owners and producers, and, most especially, to the stage managers who steered efforts behind the scenes and to all onstage, backstage and front of house who made our return to in-theater fundraising such a success. Their efforts ensure our grant-making can continue this summer reaching hundreds of organizations nationwide.”

The Broadway companies participating in the fundraising were Aladdin, American Buffalo, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Come From Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Encores! The Life, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Lion King, MJ, Mrs. Doubtfire, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Phantom of the Opera, Plaza Suite, Six, Take Me Out, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and Wicked. The Off-Broadway productions of Jersey Boys, Little Girl Blue, Little Shop of Horrors and The Play That Goes Wrong also rallied support through audience appeals.

For the first time ever, the lobby buckets were held exclusively by Broadway Cares volunteers and staff. Traditionally, cast members would also appear at the exits, but current COVID safety measures prevented that direct interaction. More than 200 masked and vaccinated volunteers and staff members offered opportunities to make donations and thanked audiences leaving performances.

All-Time Record-Breaking Champion

The Music Man - $2,071,806



2022 Spring Fundraising Campaign Leaders

Broadway Musicals

Top Fundraiser: Hamilton - $283,551

1st Runner-up: Wicked - $228,181

2nd Runner-up: The Lion King - $158,001

3rd Runner-up: Hadestown - $146,701


Broadway Plays

Top Fundraiser: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - $57,636

1st Runner-up: Plaza Suite - $25,583

Off-Broadway Plays and Musicals

Top Fundraiser: Little Shop of Horrors - $37,965

1st Runner-up: The Play That Goes Wrong - $35,485

Thirteen national touring productions raised $152,344, relying almost exclusively on QR codes and online donations after curtain appeals rather than in-person red bucket donations. Broadway Cares could not provide volunteers to hold buckets in the tours’ more than 20 cities on the road as done in New York City. To help in the fundraising, some productions also created personalized video greetings in exchange for donations through the Cameo app.

The national tour fundraisers were led by Hamilton’s …And Peggy company, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco. They were joined in the fundraising by the tours of The Band’s Visit, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, Hadestown, Hamilton ‘s Angelica and Philip companies, The Lion King, Mean Girls and Moulin Rouge! The Musical .

Although in-theater appeals were back this spring, the two-day Easter Bonnet Competition performance, which typically celebrates the end of the spring fundraising efforts, was placed on hiatus until April 2023.

Since the Easter Bonnet Competition began in 1987, the spring fundraising efforts have raised $91.8 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Despite the full two-year-long in-theater fundraising pause brought about by the pandemic, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ grant-making has continued in earnest. Since March 2020, Broadway Cares has awarded $35 million in grants to The Actors Fund and 450 other social service organizations across the country.

[jo]

To summarize BC/EFA total funds raised by Broadway shows led by Hugh Jackman --



The Boy from Oz ( 2003/2004) -- $ 1,172,000

A Steady Rain ( 2009) -- $ 1,547,180

Back on Broadway (2011) -- $ 1,789,580

The River (2014) -- $ 1,045,990

Sub-total : $ 5,554,750


The Music Man -- $ 2,071,806


TOTAL : $ 7,626,556


Well done & Congratulations, Hugh Jackman & Team!

[JH4HJ]

(There are so many different Music Man threads that I'm not sure where to post this.)

Would someone please post a photo of the "Musical Numbers" page from the MM playbill? Thank you.

[jo]

You can find the Musical Numbers here --

playbill.com/production/the-music-manwinter-garden-theatre-2021-2022#carousel-cell14864017

Please zoom in.

[JH4HJ]

Thanks, Jo. Got it.

[jo]

May 5, 2022 11:24:25 GMT -5 jo said:

To summarize BC/EFA total funds raised by Broadway shows led by Hugh Jackman --



The Boy from Oz ( 2003/2004) -- $ 1,172,000

A Steady Rain ( 2009) -- $ 1,547,180

Back on Broadway (2011) -- $ 1,789,580

The River (2014) -- $ 1,045,990

Sub-total : $ 5,554,750


The Music Man -- $ 2,071,806


TOTAL : $ 7,626,556


Well done & Congratulations, Hugh Jackman & Team!

Per BC/EFA

Jackman has an astonishing history of record-setting fundraising for Broadway Cares. With the The Music Man and his previous Main Stem outings in The River; Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway; The Boy from Oz and A Steady Rain, Jackman’s red bucket fundraising total tops $7.1 million. BC/EFA

There is a difference because, if I recall right, fund-raising for BC/EFA covers an official campaign period of 6 weeks with a set deadline. In the case of The River, it was cut short because the late Nov/early Dec cutoff found the show only about half-way through. Hugh decided to continue raising funds till it completed 6 weeks.

JO

[JH4HJ]

May 4, 2022 22:08:22 GMT -5 jo said:

Apr 29, 2022 20:44:43 GMT -5 jo said:

What is notable is the period covered!

YES! Why is TeleCharge only selling tix through the first week in Nov???
I want to go a couple weeks later. Dagnabbit. TeleCharge is infuriating.

[jo]

It is the usual practice that tickets are sold in blocks of time ( e.g., a set number of months) as producers may want to assess if sales are firm before committing to an extension. Telecharge will always say they have no say in it, as it is the
producer's decision.

The issue with TMM is if the show will extend beyond Hugh Jackman's run commitment. If so, it may make sense for the
replacement to come in during the holiday season or even a few weeks before that as that is a good season for theatre sales (because that is NYC's visitor peak season). For him to come in in deep winter will not be good as sales go cold in those months. Who would want to risk a career move like that?

Also, maybe Hugh is still undecided whether to go beyond Nov 6? On the other hand, if as the auction suggests the time
for claiming the prize can be as far as Jan 1 - maybe Hugh is in talks for any extension to Jan 1? It may also suggest that the B'way run may end when Hugh leaves the show ( because which replacement would want to lead the show in deep winter?)

Just speculating

Jo