Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Hugh Jackman at Radio City
#1Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 12:59am
Didn’t see a post about this; forgive me if one already exists. Just got back from Hugh’s show, and boy is it lackluster. As a human, Hugh is lovely. As a song and dance man, he’s underwhelming. I honestly think Broadway has embraced him so much because of his personality and because he’s a straight man (as far as we know) who does big-budget action movies and wants to sing and dance too. Not a combo we get often anymore, so we just get excited that he exists and hangs around us. It’s the nerds wanting to hang with the popular boy.
Forget Hugh, everything else on that stage was lackluster. I believe Warren Carlyle was in charge here, and based on what I saw, he shouldn’t be. The backup singers were just okay (perhaps on purpose so as not to out-sing the man of the hour?), the orchestrations were SO basic, the choreography was pointless and random, and even the mics had issues. Half the show was Greatest Showman (with the songs spread out through the whole night), there were one or two other Pasek and Paul songs, one or two from each of his other Broadway shows and a New York, New York thrown in for good measure. I know this sounds like I hated it, but I didn’t. It was fine, and sometimes fine is worse because it’s just dull.
#2Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 1:13am
I also find his vocals completely lacking and often “enhanced” in concert. I’d never pay the obscene prices for someone who doesn’t sing better. He is very charming and a talented actor but I pay to hear songs sung well.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
willep
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/08
#3Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 9:05am
I’ve never found his singing voice all that pleasant. I saw The Music Man because a friend wanted to, and Jackman was very charming and charismatic, but I just still couldn’t get into his singing.
BorisTomashevsky
Broadway Star Joined: 4/30/22
#4Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 10:12am
There was a period where he was okay, I wanna say 1995 to 2010, but since then it’s gone quite downhill.
Bwaygurl2
Featured Actor Joined: 3/8/22
#5Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 10:33am
He's never had the vocal training most theater stars have. He tried to take lessons and couldn't figure it out so he just started trying to copy his others sounded by ear.
Sutton Ross
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#6Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 12:03pm
willep said: "I’ve never found his singing voice all that pleasant. I saw The Music Man because a friend wanted to, and Jackman was very charming and charismatic, but I just still couldn’t get into his singing."
I completely agree. He is a huge star but his singing voice is below average. I only saw The Music Man for Sutton, and Max Clayton was on and he was outstanding. And the weirdos who told me "That character isn't supposed to have a great voice!" should really go back in time and see Norm Lewis in the part. Who can actually sing, beautifully.
But, if people want to stare at Hugh Jackman for 500 bux? Treat yo self!
शक्तिशाली महिला
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#7Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 12:09pm
That is crazy. Seeing him at the Bowl for $70.00.
HUSSY POWER!
------ HUSSY POWER!
#8Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 12:31pm
He used to sound ok (see: Oklahoma). But it’s like either through lack of use or aging or something over the years it sounds very forced. Like an actor who can’t really sing being performative and delivering it with this strange uncanny valley singing technique - clearly not the best of broadway but also seems to have a faint impression of it.
Still, I will die on a hill that Hugh Jackman was the best and only person in the whole world literally who could have done the ‘Les Miz’ film. Balancing box office and celebrity status, singing technique and fit for the part there was no better choice. And he really delivered with the acting.
I also enjoyed him in the greatest showman.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#9Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 12:54pm
binau said: "Like an actor who can’t really sing being performative and delivering it with this strange uncanny valley singing technique."
Yes! Couldn’t figure out how to describe it, but this is it!
#10Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/19/25 at 1:02pm
His singing voice reminds me a lot of the traits people associate with Francophone cabaret artists like Jacques Brel or Edith Piaf: the grit and gravel, the somewhat shrill tone, the less-than-lyrical pacing and the rapid vibrato. I don't hate it, most of the time, but it's certainly not a voice of velvet and roses. Either you like that flavor of unusual, or you don't.
To me, it depends on his material: I really like him in Boy from Oz and Music Man, and even some portions of Les Mis. But in Beauty and the Beast, he doesn't have the lyrical but muscular baritone it takes for Gaston's quasi-operatic and highly melodic songs.
communitytheatergal88
Swing Joined: 9/26/24
#11Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/20/25 at 6:50pm
I found it enjoyable but underwhelming...I thought his solo broadway show tenish(?) years back was far superior. He seemed kind of small on the Radio City stage -- I am going to chalk that up to the production and not him personally as he is certainly charming and charismatic. HIs singing voice has gotten "goatier" as he has aged. I thought he sounded good in Boy from Oz and the Bway solo show. Regardless, i hope he continues the singing and dancing part of his career
#12Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/20/25 at 7:19pm
Really looking forward to seeing the show. Have tickets for Saturday night, Memorial Day weekend. Also, seeing him at The Hollywood Bowl a few weeks later.
#13Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/20/25 at 8:29pm
communitytheatergal88 said: "I found it enjoyable but underwhelming...I thought his solo broadway show tenish(?) years back was far superior. He seemed kind of small on the Radio City stage -- I am going to chalk that up to the production and not him personally as he is certainly charming and charismatic. HIs singing voice has gotten "goatier" as he has aged. I thought he sounded good in Boy from Oz and the Bway solo show. Regardless, i hope he continues the singing and dancing part of his career"
I chalk most of it up to the production. As I said, his voice isn’t my favorite, but the man oozes charisma. Everything else on stage and off hasn’t lived up to those expectations.
GirlFromOz68
Understudy Joined: 10/1/22
#14Hugh Jackman at Radio City
Posted: 4/21/25 at 1:23am
darquegk said: "His singing voice reminds me a lot of the traits people associate with Francophone cabaret artists like Jacques Brel or Edith Piaf: the grit and gravel, the somewhat shrill tone, the less-than-lyrical pacing and the rapid vibrato. I don't hate it, most of the time, but it's certainly not a voice of velvet and roses. Either you like that flavor of unusual, or you don't.
To me, it depends on his material: I really like him in Boy from Oz and Music Man, and even some portions of Les Mis. But in Beauty and the Beast, he doesn't have the lyrical but muscular baritone it takes for Gaston's quasi-operatic and highly melodic songs."
He was fabulous when he played Gaston in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast back in the 90s, he was also in great voice when I saw him do a concert version of the Boy from OZ (although Todd McKenney, who played Peter Allen in the original and best - untampered by Americans - version of the show was a better Peter in the show). I was supposed to see him play Joe Gillis in the Australian production of Sunset Boulevard back in about 96/97 but sadly he was out the night I saw it but I saw him sing the title song on TV a couple of times and he did a great job and I was a big fan of the pro shot of him in Oklohoma.
However I do think his voice isn't what it used to be. I watched a video of him rehearsing for these concerts and his voice seems very strained and I do wonder if its because he hasn't been putting in the work to keep his voice where it needs to be to do these concerts.
I saw an interview with Lea Michele a couple of weeks ago where she mentioned being nervous about whether she could sing again (for her concerts) after such a long break after having her baby, the hosts were shocked she would suggest such a thing and she said it's a muscle and that it's like not going to the gym for a while and wondering if you still have that strength, but she's alway been one to look after her voice properly and she's mentioned in the past about when she was a little girl in Ragtime, Audra McDonald taught her how to look after her voice and how important it was to practice properly etc and she works with a vocal coach too.
I think Hugh doesn't do this work in the same way to keep his voice in shape sadly (and I can think of at least one Elphaba whose voice isn't what it used to be either for a number of reasons including questionable technique and i say that as someone who likes that performer) , and someone mentioned he didn't have lessons and i doubt a vocal coach these days so I suspect that contributes to his fading vocal ability and as someone who has followed his work since the early 90s I find that disappointing.
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