The Boy From Oz - Was it THAT bad? — Page 2

LOVED IT!!! Hugh Jackman's performace was on of the most extraordinary performance's that I ever saw. He was fantastic!!! He's so gifted!

All I know is that Hugh Jackman made an unbearable show bearble. Loved him; the rest of the show: not so much.

It sucked. The only thing that made the $100 ticket price worthwhile was being able to look at Hugh Jackman for nearly 3 hours, once without his shirt on.

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>>>The show was also dark for about 6 weeks or so while he filmed "Van Helsing." <<

No that's not true. BFO opened in September 2003 and Van Helsing was filmed January-June, 2003. He was done with that when he started BFO.

Then what movie was it he filmed? I could have SWORN that it closed for 6 weeks for him to film a movie.

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And there is no way they could have filmed all of Van Helsing in six weeks.

As stated, Jackman was out only for, I believe, four regularly scheduled performances, all of which were cancelled well in advance. While he did have two standbys, they were only there in case something happened where Jackman couldn't finish a performance and then, I suppose one of them would have gone on and finished the show. That never happened, though. A truly remarkable feat on Jackman's part considering how incredibly taxing that role was (and the fact that he was injured during much of the run).

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Hugh made the show entertaining, and deservingly won the Best Actor Tony that year. The show probably woud have ran only 42 performances without him.

DEFINITLY get the Decca Broadway CD of the show One of the livelier cast recordings to come out in recent years.

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The show is a musical biography of Peter Allen and traces the highlights of his life story via his own catalog of songs. It was fortunate that the songs had autobiographical overtones and fitted the book rather well ( which is why Hugh Jackman gets to sing 21 of the 25 or so songs in the musical score). It is a show biz story and highlights the musical aspects of such a career ( turns at a TV show in Australia, a piano bar at the Mandarin Oriental in Hongkong where he first meets Judy Garland, at the Reno Sweeney music spot, at the Copacobana, and ultimately at Radio City Music Hall where he broke house records). The show is a mixture of spectacle ( especially the glitzy RIO finale, performed with a huge piano scale serving as steps and backdrop, the act at Copacobana with a dancing Peter Allen atop the piano, and a high-kick scene with a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall, and the famous LIZA with a Z number) as well as intimate and telling moments of his relationships with Liza and his lover, Greg.

The book was structured so that Peter was basically narrating the story, as he linked the stages in his life. In a sense, this allowed Hugh Jackman, still channeling Peter Allen, to break the fourth wall and engage the audience at the Imperial in funny repartees or even in performing together for a few minutes.

The musical score was vaguely familiar because some of them were pop hits ( including the Oscar-winning ARTHUR theme) and remarkably supported the narration of Peter's biography.

Hugh Jackman proved that not only was he a true triple threat but that he was also a born entertainer. It is true that the most memorable moments in the show for most people were the times when he broke the fourth wall and engaged the audience in hilarious conversations or coaxed them into performing for a few minutes at the Imperial.

I had seen the show many times, including the memorable closing show ( where his "performing victims" were Matt Damon and Barbara Walters). Those times were all very entertaining - and Hugh engaged his audience in so many different ways. My favourites included his singing a lullaby to twins still in the womb of a heavily pregnant mother who volunteered to dance without Hugh realizing her condition initially, his singing " Unchained Melody" to an elderly couple who were celebrating their anniversary, his Wolverine take ( the knitted brows, eyes looking sharply under those brows in search of prey) when he could not find an audience member he wanted to interact with ( he found him -LOL!), the lap dance by him and Matt on Barbara W...not to say the least was when my friend and I were "spotted" and were "coaxed" to dance the bump and grind, literally under the spotlight and with the cheering of 1400 gleeful people at the Imperial.

I was also lucky to have seen the arena version in Australia last year. It was a different show in the sense that it bore more the atmosphere of a huge concert as the show was performed in very large venues - something like 12,000 -seaters arenas. I was apprehensive that the show would be tacky and too unlike a theatre show - -but I was very wrong. It ranks as one of the most enteraining shows I have ever seen in my life. There was room for true spectacle ( Just imagine Rio being staged as a real carnival in Rio, 50 or so-dazzlingly costumed Rockettes high-kicking with Peter, the wave of sentiment when the Still Call Australia Home number was sung with a huge cast and a flag ( almost as large as the Olympic flag) being unfurled on top of our heads in the orchestra, Hugh as Legs Diamond in a number reminiscent of Guys and Dolls but with Fosse-like moves, and Liza in her musical number with the unforgettable Fosse moves, etc) and room for intimate and poignant moments ( the song I Honestly Love You was more poignant than the one on Broadway, Don't Cry Out Loud won the hearts of the audience, and Hugh's heart-tugging 11 o'clock number of TENTERFIELD SADDLER was very memorable). The famous ONCE BEFORE I GO ( which drew regular standing ovations on Broadway, despite it not being the finale) became more of an epilogue - but it was equally touching.

Sorry, for trying to break the record for the longest post on BWW

Updated On: 4/1/07 at 02:03 AM

BrodyFosse123: It's funny your siggy says less is more and above it is an extremely long message. You've made my day.

I love irony.

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I enjoyed Stephanie and Isabel also. Isabel DEFINITELY deserved that Tony.

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When I first saw BFO, in previews, I wasn't impressed with Stephanie's Liza. I read later that her role was being worked on extensively right up to the opening. When I saw the show again nine months later, she blew me away.

As a show, it was what it purported to be - the story of Peter Allen's life. And overall, it was entertainingly presented. Much of the supporting cast was stellar in their roles - especially Ms. Block and Ms. Keating - with a special mention to Master Federan as 'Young Peter.'

But the evening really was all about Mr. Jackman, who was in a word, astounding.