Tiny Update on "Houdini" and "Carousel"

[Fan2]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:28am

In an article about Hugh and what's been going on with him. Interesting what it says about the Oscars. And he had his hand/footprints cemented in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater yesterday.

>>>Jackman, who is based with his family in New York, is keen to get stuck into a new project but won't confirm exactly what it will be.

But he hints that after playing tough characters in his last two films, including The Drover in Baz Luhrmann?s Australia, we might see something different from him.

His production company has been working on two musicals - one for the stage and one for the screen.

"I'm really working heavily on a movie version of Carousel, a remake of that," he says.

"For two years we've been trying to find a way to make it relevant and not feel old-fashioned and I think we've finally done that.

"On stage we're working on a musical version of the life of Houdini.

"We've been working on that for about a year and we'll probably go to Broadway when we're finished.

"But it'll be at least a year away."

Jackman as a singing, dancing Houdini sounds intriguing and he?s clearly not frightened of taking a risk.

"Come on. Why not?? he says with a laugh.

As the actor describes his fascination with the famous magician, a few parallels between the two become obvious.

"If he could sing and dance he would have done it," Jackman says.

"He was a showman basically. He was probably the first rock star. A master manipulator of the media and a showman through and through." <<<

Whole article:






Many Faces of Hugh Jackman Updated On: 4/23/09 at 11:28 AM

[logan0215]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:33am

As long as Billy doesn't speak and sing all of his dialogue in another language to update it, I'm down.

I love Carousel, but feel it probably doesn't need that much of an update.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 12:57pm

As long as Billy doesn't speak and sing all of his dialogue in another language to update it, I'm down.

The original play was Hungarian, so there's still hope! I wonder what would happen if he returned the setting to Budapest.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 1:08pm

I agree--I think Carousel has very relevant themes.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 1:48pm

Yeah, I'd say Carousel is probably the least dated of all the R&H shows.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 1:48pm

Especially if they cast Rhiana as Julie Jordan.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 2:42pm

Personally, I always found Carousel to be one of the MOST dated R&H shows. The he-beats-me-but-it's-ok-because-I-love-him aspect always turned me off.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:11pm

That's extremely realistic, though. I've always defended Carousel because Billy's treatment of Julie isn't condoned in the show--she justifies it to herself, but no one else does. Which is really common in abusive relationships, even modern ones.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 3:29pm

Exactly-- it's a sad but true fact that is covered often on talk shows and news programs.

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 4:37pm

So Hugh Jackman is going to be Danny Elfman's Harry Houdini? Wow.

[Fan2]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 4:44pm

There hasn't been an official cast announcement on Houdini, but Hugh himself has said it in a few interviews and has mentioned it to some fans.

[jo]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:38pm

Can't wait for both!

After his turn at the Oscars, there are more people now aware that Hugh is a real triple threat talent and a movie musical is something people have been awaiting from him for sometime now. Hope he films CAROUSEL soon!

Re Houdini -- it seems that he is inspired by the character of Robert Angier in his film "The Prestige" - a magician who was also a showman! It is noteworthy that the set designer of the recent Oscars, David Rockwell, has also been mentioned as the prospective set designer of "Houdini", although this was a much earlier announcement.

I dread the day online tickets for "Houdini" are first offered on sale - arggh!!!

[wonkit]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 10:46pm

I was fortunate to see a single benefit performance of CAROUSEL at Carnegie Hall with Jackman several years ago. He is perfect for the role, although his voice does not have the size and brashness of a John Raitt. He has the necessary charisma for the role, and plenty to spare.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:04pm

Ok, this is a bit of a detour from the OP, but this is something that always ticks me off: I think to say that Billy is abusive is a lazy analysis of his character. Yes, he hits her and that is wrong. And everyone IN the show states how it is wrong (check the text, both Carrie and Mrs. Mullin state that Billy or Julie should just break it off). But the truth is that Billy's hitting Julie isn't because of an anger with her or with because he looks at her as an object.

The character of Billy is a true loser. As is Julie, but at least she holds her head high with dignity (the one time we see her falter is when Billy dies). It's one of the reasons I hate it when Billy is cast with some muscular, clean cut, all-American actor who looks more like superman with messed up hair and a bit of stubble. He's not supposed to be a former quarterback of his hometown's football team. He's an all-out loser who has no skills or common sense. It's why he can't get work after he's fired from the carousel. Even Julie mentions that Billy is only good at what he used to do. And even though he'd always been that way, he was happier when he worked at the carnival, where life was free of responsibilities, he didn't have to care for anyone, and he was making a steady pay. Once he's with Julie, he has no options. He can't support her. He has to rely on Nettie to provide for them.

For someone like Billy, that just about kills him. He doesn't want to feel helpless, but he doesn't want to leave Julie because he does love her. But Billy is terrible at expressing his feelings. He doesn't want to open up and if he did, he wouldn't know the words to say (the lyrics in "If I Loved You" foreshadow this). So when he and Julie get into their biggest fight yet, and he knows she's right, he hits her. An instinct he immediately regrets and wants to forget. Which is why he gets so upset when people mention that he hit Julie. He knows what he did, and he's ashamed. The same incident happens with Louise, and once again he hates himself for what he's done. Then the starkeeper's assistant yells at him "Shame Shame!" and states that whenever something doesn't go his way he has to get violent.

But Billy isn't dangerous with the exception of making stupid decisions. He would never want to harm Julie or cause her any shame or any . Hell, he would sooner kill himself than go to jail and leave Julie and their baby with shame (which he ends up doing anyway, but that's not his intention). Julie knows he isn't dangerous. That's why she stays with him. She says to him after he dies "I know why you hit me. I always knew what you were thinking." She understood who Billy was and why he did what he did, which was out of frustration with himself as opposed to her.

And while yes, the time period does affect why she stays, it isn't the sole reason. Ultimately, "Carousel" is a love story of two people who needed each other, but weren't healthy for each other.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:12pm

Brief story from THE ADVOCATE today

Hugh Jackman Won't Deny He's Gay
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid80068.asp



Hugh Jackman is finally answering the question every tabloid reporter in the world seems to keep asking: Is he gay? No, he's not, the actor says -- but he doesn't think he should run around denying it.

?I?d be happy to go and deny it, because I?m not," Jackman told Parade magazine. "But by denying it, I?m saying there is something shameful about it, and there isn?t anything shameful. The questions about sexuality I find more here in America than anywhere else, because it?s a big hang-up and defines what people think about themselves and others. It?s not a big issue in Australia."


ALSO, HE WAS SPOTTED TONIGHT (4/22) IN A BROOKLYN WINE-BAR BEING "Very sweet, charming and super hot" SUPPOSEDLY PRE-GAMING BEFORE/AFTER HIS NYC TALK-SHOW CIRCUIT.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:22pm

wickedfan: Well said. I always thought though that Billy and Julie were supposed to be perfect for each other, contrasted with Carrie and Mr. Snow, who are all wrong for each other. The only difference is Billy/Julie have the sad ending and Mr. Snow/Carrie don't. Or that's what my CD booklet says, anyway.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:33pm

SporkGoddess: That's a pretty interesting way of looking at it. I've always thought that both couples were perfect for each other. In interpretations previous to the Nicholas Hytner production, it seemed as if Mr. Snow and Carrie were still the same way they were in the beginning, and thus remained happy, if uneventful. Hytner decided to take an interesting route and put Carrie in a loveless marriage. I think that after that production, though, the view of Carrie has changed forever and can never be looked the same way again, unless it's with contempt. In terms of Billy and Julie, they are perfect for each other in the sense that they were two magnets who naturally came together. Under better circumstances, Billy and Julie would've had a very successful marriage. And that's part of the heartbreak of "Carousel."

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/22/09 at 11:44pm

WickedFan, that was a great description of the characters of Billy and Julie, and if it was as simple as he was a woman beater and she was a victim, the characters would not be so beloved and have lasted so long.
The fleshing out of their love story is the genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein who let us see the beauty and tragic aspects of their lives through a glorious score, and perhaps my favorite song of the score, WHAT'S THE USE OF WONDERING? A plantiff plea to understand why Julie loves Billy, despite his obvious flaws.

Of course when Billy gets to spend time with his daughter, Louise, the basic instinct is to hit her when he looses his temper. But in the final moments Louise realizes that her Father may have been a loser, but Love and forgiveness are important for her and Julie to NEVER WALK ALONE.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/23/09 at 12:14am

Thanks, CPD. And that's very true. I know people have problems with the production, and especially with the actor, but it's the reason why I think that the Hytner production was the definitive "Carousel" and that Michael Hayden was a brilliant Billy. Both fully embodied these characteristics. I had the privilege of watching the video at the Lincoln Center Library, and not only is it the best revival I have ever seen, it is one of the best productions of anything I have ever seen. Hayden and Sally Murphy's chemistry was fantastic ("If I Loved You" was absolutely electric). Everyone was wonderfully cast. Even Verrett, whom I hate on the recording, is better live and Hayden's singing (at least for the video) was very strong.

It's why I also have a problem with people critiquing Hayden's "Soliloquy". People I have spoken to say that "At the end of the number, Billy needs to seem almost like a superhero. Hayden looked like he could barely stand." I loved it. Billy isn't supposed to seem like a superhero who will succeed at the end of "Soliloquy". He thinks he can do it, but we the audience are supposed to know better. Billy was never a strong person at the beginning of the show, why should be at the end of "Soliloquy"? If you want a better sung "Soliloquy", listen to Raitt or McRae. But if you want a truly layered, expertly executed "Soliloquy", there's none better than Hayden. It's exactly like Natasha Richardson and Liza Minnelli with "Cabaret". One may be better sung than the other, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the other.

[Fan2]

Posted: 4/23/09 at 6:20am

>>>ALSO, HE WAS SPOTTED TONIGHT (4/22) IN A BROOKLYN WINE-BAR BEING "Very sweet, charming and super hot" SUPPOSEDLY PRE-GAMING BEFORE/AFTER HIS NYC TALK-SHOW CIRCUIT.<<<

He had his handprint/footprint ceremony in front of Grauman's in LA on Tuesday 4/21. His family was with him. On Thursday 4/23 the whole family was in Disneyland - pictures at ETonline.com. I doubt he went back to NY. Updated On: 4/23/09 at 06:20 AM

[jo]

Posted: 4/23/09 at 7:34pm

Must have been his day to relax after the gruelling worldwide promotion of Wolverine ( and more to come with talk shows).

Thanks for the update, Fan2.

And hey, Hugh may be a mutant but his powers do not include teleporting ( that would be another Broadway veteran, Alan Cumming aka Nightcrawler) - LOL!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/23/09 at 8:19pm

Is it just me or does it look like Jackman's son is thinking:
"What's up with that big Mouse?"

[Fan2]

Posted: 4/28/09 at 9:12am

In this long interview with Hugh in promotion for "Wolverine" is this at the end:

*Question: What are you doing next?

Jackman: I don't know.

Question: Really?

Jackman: I do know ? there's three things I'm really, really searching ? or, not ? I'm really heavily into, at the moment. I'm not sure which one would be next, and I'm not sure what the ramifications would be, if I do one. If the other one will go away. Or, blah, blah, blah. So that's why I can't really talk about it. But we are developing ? one of the things I hope to do in the next 12 months is a movie musical based on Carousel, which we finally have a first draft for. We've been working on for three years.

Question: Do you have the rights to the music?

Jackman: Yeah. I think it's the greatest musical ever written.

Question: A studio film here at Fox?

Jackman: Well, we're still waiting to set it up, but hopefully. It's looking good, so, that's good.*

Link:


Jackman Interview Updated On: 4/28/09 at 09:12 AM