ABC(NEW YORK) — With his Wolverine claws evidently hung up for good, Hugh Jackman is returning to the Broadway stage — in the revival of Meredith Willson’s beloved classic, The Music Man.
Jackman will star as con man “Professor” Harold Hill in the play, produced by fellow Tony-winner Scott Rudin. This will be Jackman’s first role in a Broadway musical since his debut more than 16 years ago, when he played Peter Allen in the 2003 musical The Boy From Oz. That role that won Jackman his Tony.
The actor — who recently starred in one of the highest-grossing musical movies of all time, The Greatest Showman — is quite familiar with his next project.
“The first musical I was ever a part of was the phenomenal The Music Man,” Jackman said in a statement. “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.”
Jackman, who is also an Emmy and Grammy-winner, as well as an Oscar nominee for the movie adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, added, “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…To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.”
The production will begin performances on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, and officially open on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at a theater to be announced.
The actor is still touring the world with his acclaimed song-and-dance production Hugh Jackman: The Man. The Music. The Show.
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