The Music Man : In Performance!

[jo]

[jo]

Haha!

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[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/ChpR7wVMXD_

Such stunning precision -- beautiful!

[jo]

[jo]

Plant or veggie peeping from his tote bag?


Jo

[jo]

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[jo]

Video clip of Hugh Jackman's speech/ also Bernadette Peters & Joel Grey's presence at the Entertainment Community Fund benefit. Check the link.





www.playbill.com/article/watch-hugh-jackman-bernadette-peters-joel-grey-more-at-the-special-entertainment-community-fund-benefit-performance-of-the-music-man


Jo

[jo]

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[jo]

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

"THE MUSIC MAN" TO END ITS RECORD-BREAKING RUN ON JANUARY 1ST
Last Edit: Official_Press_Release 08:04 am EDT 09/13/22
Posted by: Official_Press_Release 08:03 am EDT 09/13/22
MEREDITH WILLSON'S
QUINTESSENTIAL BROADWAY MUSICAL COMEDY
"THE MUSIC MAN"
STARRING
HUGH JACKMAN
AND
SUTTON FOSTER
WILL END ITS RECORD-SHATTERING BROADWAY RUN
ON JANUARY 1, 2023

TICKETS FOR THE FINAL BLOCK OF PERFORMANCES
ON SALE
TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 AT 9 AM

New York, NY - Producers Barry Diller, David Geffen and Kate Horton announced today that Broadway's biggest hit which helped usher the theater industry back from its 18-month shutdown, will end its record shattering run on January 1, 2023. The smash-hit revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, starring two-time Tony Award(r), Grammy Award(r), and Emmy Award(r)-winning star Hugh Jackman as Professor Harold Hill and two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as Marian Paroo, will have played 358 regular and 46 preview performances by the time it takes its final bow.

Tickets for The Music Man's final stretch of performances through January 1, 2023 will be available tomorrow, Wednesday, September 14 at 9am ET. They can be purchased at the Winter Garden Theatre Box Office or via telecharge.com.

The biggest hit of the 2021/22 Broadway season, The Music Man's overwhelming success has also served as an international symbol of hope for an industry leveled by the pandemic. Over the course of its run, the production has shattered the Winter Garden Theatre's previous weekly box office record a total of 48 times and has already played to 402,017 audience members from around the globe.

Kate Horton said: "We are so proud of our extraordinary company, led by Hugh and Sutton, for their tireless work in bringing joy to our audiences night after night. I am thrilled that Hugh and Sutton will continue to create their unique magic to the stage right through to the end of 2022 so that we can properly close out what has been a triumphant year for our entire industry. Most of all, we are endlessly grateful for the faith and support of our audiences, whose love affair with our show has weathered even the most complicated circumstances a global pandemic could throw our way. We wish this ride could last forever but, alas, all good things must come to an end."

In addition, The Music Man has made available 10,000 subsidized tickets at $20 each during its run for New York City School communities in a broad effort to make Broadway more accessible and foster a love for the arts, and broken fundraising records for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Entertainment Community Fund.


The Music Man is directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle. The creative team includes four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (Scenic & Costume Design), five-time Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young and Associates (Hair, Wigs, & Makeup Design), Tony Award winner Jonathan Tunick (Orchestrations), David Chase (Vocal and Dance Arrangements), and Patrick Vaccariello (Musical Director).

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 Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the "great glories of American popular culture."

In addition to Mr. Jackman and Ms. Foster, the cast of The Music Man includes Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley as Marcellus Washburn, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays as Mayor Shinn, Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell as Mrs. Shinn, and Tony Award winner Marie Mullen as Mrs. Paroo, Remy Auberjonois as Charlie Cowell, Gino Cosculluela as Tommy Djilas, Emma Crow as Zaneeta Shinn, Benjamin Pajak as Winthrop, Emily Jewel Hoder as Amaryllis, Garrett Long as Ethel Toffelmier, Linda Mugleston as Alma Hix, Jessica Sheridan as Maud Dunlop, Rema Webb as Mrs. Squires, Phillip Boykin as Olin Britt, Eddie Korbich as Jacey Squires, Daniel Torres as Ewart Dunlop, Nicholas Ward as Oliver Hix, Lance Roberts as Constable Locke, Max Clayton as Standby for Harold Hill, and Nick Alvino, Jordan Beall, Ronnie S. Bowman Jr., Maria Briggs, Audrina Brudner, Audrey Cardwell, Michael Cash, William Thomas Colin, Kammie Crum, Aydin Eyikan, Richard Gatta, Ethen Green-Younger, Curtis Holland, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Amanda LaMotte, Kayla LaVine, Ross Lekites, Devin Miles Lugo, Drew Minard, Sean Montgomery, Kennedy Pitney, Daniel Patrick Russell, Sherisse Springer, Mitchell Tobin, Kathy Voytko, Branch Woodman and Ryan Worsing rounding out the Ensemble.

Ms. Mullen is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance to this production.

# # # #

www.Musicmanonbroadway.com

[jo]

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[jo]

Of course we have been aware for some time that the show will end its Hugh Jackman run ( coincidentally also the show's run) by January 1, 2023.

But it looks like he precipitated the announcement by the producers by announcing it in Toronto

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Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman arrives at the premiere of “The Son” at Roy Thomson Hall during the Toronto International Film Festival, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in… Read More
ENTERTAINMENT
Hugh Jackman eyes the end of the ‘The Music Man’ on Broadway
by: JOHN CARUCCI, Associated Press

Posted: Sep 13, 2022 / 07:04 AM CDT

Updated: Sep 13, 2022 / 07:04 AM CDT

SHARE
TORONTO (AP) — Since he was a high school student, Hugh Jackman wanted to play the roguish traveling salesman Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man” on Broadway. He’s fulfilled that dream — but all things must come to an end.

On the red carpet at the Toronto Film Festival, Jackman told The Associated Press that the revival will play its last performance at the beginning of the new year,

“Jan. 1 is going to be the last show. So we’ve got another three and a half months. So if you haven’t seen it, please come and see,” Jackman said after conferring with his publicist.

Jackman said he had a blast doing the show, which has double Tony Award winner Sutton Foster playing his love interest. “I love it. I love the cast. I love everything about the show. The audiences have been incredible and I’m going to be sad,” he said.

The musical tells the simple story about Harold Hill, a traveling con man who in 1912 convinces a small Iowa town into forming a band and selling them instruments until love changes him. It’s got classic songs like ″Seventy-Six Trombones,” ″Goodnight My Someone,” ″Gary, Indiana” and “Till There Was You.”

The musical revival was delayed several times due to the pandemic, finally opening in February. It has been a box office juggernaut, regularly exceeding $3 million a week, even if it got little love at the Tony Awards.

[jo]

From the NYTimes --

Broadway’s ‘Music Man’ Revival Will End Run on Jan. 1

The show’s producers have decided not to recast after stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster finish runs of slightly more than a year in the show.




Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”
Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”Credit...Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Michael Paulson
By Michael Paulson
Sept. 13, 2022, 9:07 a.m. ET


An enormously popular Broadway revival of “The Music Man” will end its run on Jan. 1, reflecting a decision by the producers not to recast after the departure of the show’s stars, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

The production began performances Dec. 20, so Jackman and Foster will have been in the show for a little more than a year once it closes, which is a normal length of time for a Broadway contract. And both of them have been working on the project for several years, because it was, like many other shows, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time of its closing it will have played 358 regular and 46 preview performances, according to the production. Like many other shows, it lost some performances to coronavirus cancellations.

“We wish this ride could last forever but, alas, all good things must come to an end,” one of the show’s producers, Kate Horton, said in a statement.



Horton is co-producing the show with the billionaires Barry Diller and David Geffen. The three took over when the initial lead producer, Scott Rudin, stepped away from his role amid accusations of bullying behavior.

Despite tepid reviews from many critics, and despite winning zero Tony Awards, the show has been a huge hit, reflecting Jackman’s enormous popularity among musical theater fans, as well as affection for the show itself. The revival has consistently been the top-grossing show on Broadway throughout its run; for a long time, it was grossing over $3 million a week, which is huge for Broadway, although recently its grosses have softened slightly to a still enviable level of $2.7 million to $2.9 million a week.

As of Sept. 4, the revival had grossed a total of $106 million and had been seen by 400,435 people.

“The Music Man,” a classic of golden age musical theater, was written by Meredith Willson and first played on Broadway in 1957; this revival is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

Despite the putdowns by critics ( including NYTimes's Jesse Green), the revival turned out to be a real crowd-pleaser! To me, this means this revival hit the spot on what works as a musical in modern times, even if the show was originally staged many, many decades back and the actual story takes place in 1912!

Of course Hugh Jackman was the singular attraction but he meshed himself in as part of a great cast displaying their triple threat talent with such verve and enthusiasm!

I cannot forget what a relative said after seeing the show : " I am exhausted - from cheering too much for the show...I am seeing it again!".

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Is the January 1, 2023 closing date tied in with any of Hugh's film career objectives or new commitments ?

Relevant dates --



The Academy is sticking with March as prime Oscars real estate, as the group announced Friday its key awards dates for the 2022-2023 season.

As it has for decades, ABC will again broadcast the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12 — roughly two weeks earlier than the March 27 date of the 94th ceremony earlier this year, but still a few weeks later than the traditional late-February window in which the Academy typically hands out its awards.

Nominations for the 2023 Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with the voting window lasting just five days between Jan. 12-17.

Or is there any new project that needs his commitment and attention. He already likely lost the FERRARI project due to the delays in the run of THE MUSIC MAN.

Hope he gets back to his film career with exciting new projects!


Jo

[jo]

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[jo]

Sept 13, 2022 8:20:51 GMT -5 jo said:

From the NYTimes --

Broadway’s ‘Music Man’ Revival Will End Run on Jan. 1

The show’s producers have decided not to recast after stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster finish runs of slightly more than a year in the show.




Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”
Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”Credit...Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Michael Paulson
By Michael Paulson
Sept. 13, 2022, 9:07 a.m. ET


An enormously popular Broadway revival of “The Music Man” will end its run on Jan. 1, reflecting a decision by the producers not to recast after the departure of the show’s stars, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

The production began performances Dec. 20, so Jackman and Foster will have been in the show for a little more than a year once it closes, which is a normal length of time for a Broadway contract. And both of them have been working on the project for several years, because it was, like many other shows, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time of its closing it will have played 358 regular and 46 preview performances, according to the production. Like many other shows, it lost some performances to coronavirus cancellations.

“We wish this ride could last forever but, alas, all good things must come to an end,” one of the show’s producers, Kate Horton, said in a statement.



Horton is co-producing the show with the billionaires Barry Diller and David Geffen. The three took over when the initial lead producer, Scott Rudin, stepped away from his role amid accusations of bullying behavior.

Despite tepid reviews from many critics, and despite winning zero Tony Awards, the show has been a huge hit, reflecting Jackman’s enormous popularity among musical theater fans, as well as affection for the show itself. The revival has consistently been the top-grossing show on Broadway throughout its run; for a long time, it was grossing over $3 million a week, which is huge for Broadway, although recently its grosses have softened slightly to a still enviable level of $2.7 million to $2.9 million a week.

As of Sept. 4, the revival had grossed a total of $106 million and had been seen by 400,435 people.

“The Music Man,” a classic of golden age musical theater, was written by Meredith Willson and first played on Broadway in 1957; this revival is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

Updated NY Times article --

Broadway’s ‘Music Man’ Revival Will End Run on Jan. 1
The show’s producers have decided not to recast after stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster finish runs of slightly more than a year in the show.


Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”
Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in “The Music Man.”Credit...Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Michael Paulson
By Michael Paulson
Sept. 13, 2022


An enormously popular Broadway revival of “The Music Man” will end its run on Jan. 1, reflecting a decision by the producers not to recast after the departure of the show’s stars, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

The production began performances Dec. 20, so Jackman and Foster will have been in the show for a little more than a year once it closes. And both of them have been working on the project for several years, because it was, like many other shows, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We managed to get Hugh and Sutton until the first of January, which is a remarkable commitment, and I felt really strongly that they have created such a unique event between them, trying to think of somebody who could follow on that became impossible,” Kate Horton, one of the lead producers, said in an interview. “This was its own particular magic.”

At the time of its closing, the revival will have played 358 regular and 46 preview performances, according to the production. Like many other shows, it lost some performances to coronavirus cancellations, including during an ordinarily lucrative stretch over the holidays last December when both Jackman and Foster tested positive for the virus.


Horton said that the production has not yet recouped its $24 million capitalization costs, but that it will do so before closing.

“The stops and starts were costly in lots of ways, including financially,” she said.

When performances had to stop last December, it “was a big body blow to the show, and I had a moment of not knowing if we were going to be able to really keep it going — we were all over the place in terms of what Covid was throwing at us, and it’s probably one of the most challenging moments I’ve had in my career,” she added. “The fact that we continued and are going to recoup might not seem like a miracle, but it feels like it for me.”

Horton is co-producing the show with the billionaires Barry Diller and David Geffen. The three took over when the initial lead producer, Scott Rudin, stepped away from his role amid accusations of bullying behavior.

Despite tepid reviews from many critics, and despite winning zero Tony Awards, the show has consistently sold out, with a high average ticket price. The revival has been the top-grossing show on Broadway throughout its run; for a long time, it was grossing over $3 million a week, which is huge for Broadway, although recently its grosses have softened slightly to a still enviable level of $2.7 million to $2.9 million a week.


As of Sept. 4, the revival had grossed a total of $106 million and had been seen by 400,435 people.

“The Music Man,” a classic of golden age musical theater, was written by Meredith Willson and first played on Broadway in 1957; this revival is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.



Horton said that the production has not yet recouped its $24 million capitalization costs, but that it will do so before closing.

“The stops and starts were costly in lots of ways, including financially,” she said.

When performances had to stop last December, it “was a big body blow to the show, and I had a moment of not knowing if we were going to be able to really keep it going — we were all over the place in terms of what Covid was throwing at us, and it’s probably one of the most challenging moments I’ve had in my career,” she added. “The fact that we continued and are going to recoup might not seem like a miracle, but it feels like it for me.”



Horton is co-producing the show with the billionaires Barry Diller and David Geffen. The three took over when the initial lead producer, Scott Rudin, stepped away from his role amid accusations of bullying behavior.

Despite tepid reviews from many critics, and despite winning zero Tony Awards, the show has consistently sold out, with a high average ticket price. The revival has been the top-grossing show on Broadway throughout its run; for a long time, it was grossing over $3 million a week, which is huge for Broadway, although recently its grosses have softened slightly to a still enviable level of $2.7 million to $2.9 million a week.



As of Sept. 4, the revival had grossed a total of $106 million and had been seen by 400,435 people.

“The Music Man,” a classic of golden age musical theater, was written by Meredith Willson and first played on Broadway in 1957; this revival is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

[jo]

This fairly tight financial situation puts a huge burden on Hugh Jackman. He cannot be absent as it would mean predictable cancellation requests ( the last time it happened, revenues dropped by 50%).

Maybe that is why he is continuing to stay masked at the stagedoor?

Good luck to the show!


Jo

[jo]

HOME
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Sep 13, 2022 5:13am PT
‘The Music Man’ to End Broadway Run in January as Hugh Jackman Departs

By Brent Lang

Plus Icon
Music Man.Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.
Julieta Cervantes

It turns out Hugh Jackman is irreplaceable.

“The Music Man” will end its run on Jan. 1, 2023 as the Tony-winning star of stage and screen finishes his lengthy commitment to the hot-selling Broadway revival. There had been some chatter that the producers were looking for another actor to take over for Jackman as Professor Henry Hill, but those kind of performers are few and far between. And, well, they don’t usually have the kind of commercial appeal to fill the Winter Garden.

The revival, which also starred two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, will have played 358 regular and 46 preview performances by the time it takes its final bow.

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“We are so proud of our extraordinary company, led by Hugh and Sutton, for their tireless work in bringing joy to our audiences night after night,” Kate Horton, the show’s producer said. “I am thrilled that Hugh and Sutton will continue to create their unique magic to the stage right through to the end of 2022 so that we can properly close out what has been a triumphant year for our entire industry. Most of all, we are endlessly grateful for the faith and support of our audiences, whose love affair with our show has weathered even the most complicated circumstances a global pandemic could throw our way. We wish this ride could last forever but, alas, all good things must come to an end.”

“The Music Man” was directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks. Reviews were mixed, but the show was a huge hit with fans. It was originally intended to open in 2020 before COVID scrambled those plans.

Jackman is currently earning Oscar buzz for his star turn in Florian Zeller’s “The Son,” which will open in theaters in December after playing at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.

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