#1
Posted: 10/16/05 at 5:25am
Hi Everyone, I just read an "official" article online in Australia about The Boy From Oz coming to Australia.
Hugh Jackman brings The Boy from Oz home
I have pasted it below. I hope you enjoy it. Take care all.
Sunday Oct 16 18:34 AEST
After more than a year of speculation, Hugh Jackman has confirmed he will star in an Australian arena tour of the Boy From Oz.
The A-list Hollywood actor has a number of film commitments to complete and will return to the Australian stage by mid-2006.
"The Boy From Oz is a celebration of not only a great Australian, but of what it means to be Australian and I look forward to celebrating Peter Allen's life in a thrilling tour with a great Australian cast," Jackman said.
Critics lauded Jackman's portrayal of Allen - the flamboyant and energetic boy from Tenterfield in north-western NSW, who helped define the disco era in the 1970s and `80s, before succumbing to AIDS in 1992 - in the Broadway production.
Producers of the hit Broadway musical have been planning to bring the production back to Australia for some time.
"Hugh's got an incredibly busy movie career now and trying to find a window in between his movie commitments has taken us a little time," producer Ben Gannon told AAP from London.
"He fell in love with performing live and fell in love with Peter Allen (the character) and he was always talking about doing it again. It was just a question of how it was going to fit in with everything else."
The first ever Boy From Oz production was held in Sydney in March 1998 and went on to become the most successful new Australian musical ever staged.
Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney was in the lead role then with Jackman taking on the Broadway lead in October 2003.
That production ended in September last year and there has been much speculation about Jackman possibly taking the musical to London's West End, Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
"They may happen in time," Gannon said.
"It's certainly been talked about as something that could well happen in the future and I think Hugh would be interested but he really wanted to perform in Australia."
Jackman, who is currently in the United States filming X-Men 3, last performed on the Australian stage eight years ago, playing screenwriter Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard.
Since then he has focused on his film career with roles in Hollywood films X-Men, Swordfish and Van Helsing.
Jackman's portrayal of Peter Allen showed his versatility as a performer, winning him a Tony Award and an Emmy.
The upcoming Australian tour will be held in large venues in capital cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, where Jackman studied to be an actor.
The production is likely to be held in July or August next year and Gannon said the Boy From Oz was one of the most gruelling productions around.
Gannon added that the production would cost more than $10 million to stage.
"We are doing a complete reconception of the show for large-scale venues," Gannon said.
"It's going to be the same story and the same music but we are going to scale it up very considerably with a large cast and big orchestra."
Hugh Jackman brings The Boy from Oz home
I have pasted it below. I hope you enjoy it. Take care all.
Sunday Oct 16 18:34 AEST
After more than a year of speculation, Hugh Jackman has confirmed he will star in an Australian arena tour of the Boy From Oz.
The A-list Hollywood actor has a number of film commitments to complete and will return to the Australian stage by mid-2006.
"The Boy From Oz is a celebration of not only a great Australian, but of what it means to be Australian and I look forward to celebrating Peter Allen's life in a thrilling tour with a great Australian cast," Jackman said.
Critics lauded Jackman's portrayal of Allen - the flamboyant and energetic boy from Tenterfield in north-western NSW, who helped define the disco era in the 1970s and `80s, before succumbing to AIDS in 1992 - in the Broadway production.
Producers of the hit Broadway musical have been planning to bring the production back to Australia for some time.
"Hugh's got an incredibly busy movie career now and trying to find a window in between his movie commitments has taken us a little time," producer Ben Gannon told AAP from London.
"He fell in love with performing live and fell in love with Peter Allen (the character) and he was always talking about doing it again. It was just a question of how it was going to fit in with everything else."
The first ever Boy From Oz production was held in Sydney in March 1998 and went on to become the most successful new Australian musical ever staged.
Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney was in the lead role then with Jackman taking on the Broadway lead in October 2003.
That production ended in September last year and there has been much speculation about Jackman possibly taking the musical to London's West End, Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
"They may happen in time," Gannon said.
"It's certainly been talked about as something that could well happen in the future and I think Hugh would be interested but he really wanted to perform in Australia."
Jackman, who is currently in the United States filming X-Men 3, last performed on the Australian stage eight years ago, playing screenwriter Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard.
Since then he has focused on his film career with roles in Hollywood films X-Men, Swordfish and Van Helsing.
Jackman's portrayal of Peter Allen showed his versatility as a performer, winning him a Tony Award and an Emmy.
The upcoming Australian tour will be held in large venues in capital cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, where Jackman studied to be an actor.
The production is likely to be held in July or August next year and Gannon said the Boy From Oz was one of the most gruelling productions around.
Gannon added that the production would cost more than $10 million to stage.
"We are doing a complete reconception of the show for large-scale venues," Gannon said.
"It's going to be the same story and the same music but we are going to scale it up very considerably with a large cast and big orchestra."
Updated On: 10/16/05 at 05:25 AM
