Hugh Jackman is heading back to Broadway, folks! For the first time since his 2004 Tony Award-winning turn as Peter Allen in the Broadway premiere of The Boy From Oz, Jackman will star in a Broadway musical! Taking on the iconic role of Professor Harold Hill - arguably one of the greatest musical theater roles ever created - he will lead the cast of a Broadway revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, which is scheduled to begin previews at a yet-to-be-named Shubert venue on September 9, 2020, ahead of an official opening on October 22. Mr. Jackman commented: “The first musical I was ever a part of was the phenomenal The Music Man. The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me. The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years, and when Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.” Producer Scott Rudin has assembled the celebrated creative team behind his recent Tony Award-winning Bette Midler-led revival of Hello, Dolly! for what is sure to be a mammoth production on the Great White Way, including four-time Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks and Tony Award-winning choreographer Warren Carlyle, alongside four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (serving as scenic & costume designer), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (lighting designer), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (sound designer), and David Chase (providing the dance arrangements). New additions to the creative team include musical director Patrick Vaccariello and Tony Award-winning orchestrator Jonathan Tunick. The Music Man originally premiered on Broadway in December 1957, becoming an instant hit, and went on to win a total of five Tony Awards in 1958 (including "Best Musical") and established itself as one of the all-time classics of American musical theater, running for 1,375 performances in New York City. In addition, the original cast recording of the musical comedy won the first-ever Grammy Award for "Best Original Cast Album" and hit the number one spot on the Billboard charts. It would remain in the charts for an astonishing 245 weeks. Synopsis: The Music Man, featuring a book, music & lyrics by Meredith Wilson, follows con man Harold Hill, who poses as a musician and hatches a plot to sell gullible musical instruments and uniforms to townsfolk in the Midwest with the promise to train them and turn them into credible bands. His intentions, however, are to skip town before he gives a single music lesson. Marian, a local librarian and piano teacher, sees right through him and threatens to out him... until the two end up falling in love, of course. Hugh Jackman last appeared on Broadway in Jez Butterworth's three-person drama The River from October 2014 to February 2015. Aside from his 2003 Broadway debut in The Boy From Oz, he also starred alongside Daniel Craig in the 2009 Broadway premiere of A Steady Rain and in his own concert series Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway in the fall of 2011 (resulting in a special Tony Award in 2012). He earned great acclaim, including an Olivier Award nomination, for his performance as Curly McLain in the 1998 National Theatre production of Oklahoma! and his Australian stage credits include Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Sunset Boulevard. On screen, he is best known for his Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated role as P.T. Barnum in the smash hit movie musical "The Greatest Showman," his Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Jean Valjean in "Les Misérables," and as Wolverine in the hugely successful "X-Men" movie franchize. Additional casting, including the role of Marian, will be announced at a later date. (Photo by Joan Marcus / Artwork courtesy of DKC/O&M)<doc-sep>Hugh Jackman will return to Broadway in a 2020 revival of Meredith Willson’s 1957 classic musical The Music Man, producer Scott Rudin confirmed today. Directed by Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, the revival will begin performances on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, and open on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at a Shubert theatre to be announced. Jackman tweeted an image this morning of a suitcase, a trombone (one of 76, no doubt) and an ID tag with the name “Harold Hill.” The suitcase has a sticker reading “Opening Night October 22, 2020.” See the tweet below. Additional casting, including the lead female role of Marian, will be announced shortly. In a statement, Jackman said, “The first musical I was ever part of was the phenomenal The Music Man. The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me. Related Story Britney Spears Musical Heads To Washington D.C. For Pre-Broadway Run “The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years. When Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.” Said Rudin, “There is just no way to accurately describe the level of excitement I feel about the opportunity to present Hugh in what I think is the best role ever written for an actor in all of Broadway musical theater. Although I have spent a lot of time and energy wishing there was a way to stop the passage of time, this is the one moment when I wish it would just move faster. I can’t wait for us to begin working on this together in earnest.” Jackson’s Broadway credits include the 2003 Peter Allen biographical musical The Boy From Oz, A Steady Rain in 2009, The River in 2014 and his 2011 concert show Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway. The creative team for the revival will include director Jerry Zaks, choreographer Warren Carlyle, set and costume designer Santo Loquasto, lighting by Natasha Katz, Scott Lehrer on sound and dance arrangements by David Chase.<doc-sep>Hugh Jackman is returning to Broadway next year in a revival of “The Music Man.” Mr. Jackman teased the idea via Twitter on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the producer Scott Rudin announced a run, which he said would begin previews Sept. 9, 2020, and open on Oct. 22, 2020 at an unspecified Shubert theater. Mr. Jackman, 50, has appeared on Broadway four times. In 2004, he won a Tony Award as best actor in a musical for “The Boy from Oz,” and in 2012 he was granted a special, noncompetitive, Tony for his professional and volunteer efforts in the Broadway community. “The Music Man,” with book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson, first opened on Broadway in 1957. Mr. Jackman will play Harold Hill, a scam artist who pretends to be a musician and makes money selling instruments and uniforms to boys aspiring to be part of a band in River City, Iowa. The original production won the 1958 Tony Award for best musical, besting “West Side Story.” There was a brief revival at City Center in 1980 starring Dick Van Dyke, and a longer-lived revival, starring Craig Bierko, that opened in 2000.<doc-sep>Hugh Jackman will return to Broadway in an upcoming revival of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.” It marks Jackman’s first musical role in more than a decade, which should make it a hot ticket. His last one, “The Boy From Oz,” resulted in a Tony Award for best actor. Jackman will play con man Harold Hill, a role made famous on screen and stage by the late Robert Preston. The show follows Hill’s latest scheme, one that finds him posing as the head of boys’ marching band (cue “76 Trombones”). Scott Rudin will produce the revival. On Twitter, Jackman said “The Music Man” will come to Broadway on Oct. 22, 2020. Jackman’s recent film roles include the smash hit “The Greatest Showman,” as well as the Gary Hart biopic “The Front Runner.” His other credits include “Logan,” “The Prestige,” and “The Fountain.” On stage, Jackman appeared on Broadway in the plays “A Steady Rain” and “The River.” He is currently touring his one-man stage show, singing songs from “The Boy From Oz,” “The Greatest Showman” and other musicals. Rudin has had a busy season on Broadway, producing “The Waverly Gallery,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a revival of “King Lear” with Glenda Jackson, and several other shows. In an interview with Variety last winter, Jackman said he hopes there will be a stage version of “The Greatest Showman” at some point. “I’ve heard a bunch of different ideas and hopefully when those happen I’ll be involved in some way, shape, or form,” he said. “I know it works. There’s elements of the movie that would be even more powerful live.”<doc-sep>
Hugh Jackman Takes the Starring Role In ‘The Music Man’ Revival on Broadway Hugh Jackman is returning to Broadway in 2020 as the star of The Music Man, producer Scott Rudin announced today. Jackman will play the role of Professor Harold Hill in the newest version of this Meredith Wilson classic. The villain was popularized by the late Robert Preston in the show’s original Broadway run. Jerry Zaks will direct the latest incarnation of The Music Man, with choreography from Warren Carlyle. Performances will begin in September 2020, and the official open set is slated for October 22, 2020. Of course, Jackman is no stranger to musicals. He starred in the 2012 big screen adaptation of Les Miserables and won a Tony Award back in 2004 for The Boy From Oz. No other casting roles have been announced yet, with producers confirming they will be announced “soon.” Jackman says The Music Man holds a special place in his heart as the first musical he was ever a part of, way back in 1983. “I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me.” “The idea of bringing ‘The Music Man’ back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years, and when Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.” Producer Scott Rudin says he’s thrilled to be working with Jackman in what he considers to be “the best role ever written for an actor in all of Broadway musical theater.” The Music Man originally debuted on Broadway on December 19th, 1957. The show went on to win five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and ran for 1,375 performances.