The full title for the razzle-dazzle experience that is Hugh Jackman’s international touring show is Hugh Jackman – The Man. The Music. The Show. But, at the conclusion of the two and a bit hour extravaganza, (that comes with a welcome twenty minute intermission that feels like more of a respite for the audience as it is for the ever singing, ever dancing troupe on stage), one can’t help but consider throwing on a bunch of extra words onto the title: The Legend. The Icon. The Australian. The Ally. Even as I sit here, writing this review, I can’t help but feel like I’m coming up short to describe The Man, Hugh Jackman.
See, sitting down in a packed to the brim 12,000 seat RAC Arena, surrounded by strangers, you can’t help but feel the electric anticipation of the event we’ve all paid for. Or rather, not so much the event, but, as the title suggest, The Man. As a clip reel of Hugh Jackman’s iconic roles plays over the mammoth screens that hang on either side of the stage, you can’t help but realise the immense talent that this one person has. Everything from Australia, to Paperback Hero, to the nine X-Men films he did as Wolverine, to Kate & Leopold, to Les Miserables, and even to Van Helsing, and The Fountain and Prisoners(but no Movie 43, or Viva Laughlin), gets a glimpse. Not only is Jackman a versatile on screen presence, he’s also an immense talent on stage, as we were all set to witness in person.
And, sure enough, talent is exactly what we saw. We knew that’s what we were getting. We knew we were going to be entertained, but what we didn’t know was exactly how we were going to be entertained. For those of us who were lucky enough to catch Jackman’s last tour around Australia as Peter Allen in the ever flamboyant and exciting musical, The Boy From Oz, you had an idea of what you were in for – high energy entertainment that thrills and excites and leaves you dancing down the aisles as you walk out the theatre.
For this show, Hugh Jackman takes the audience along a walk down memory lane, telling his life stories about how he got into acting, the importance of different songs in his life, and aww-inspiring tales about the love that he has for his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. And, he does so with a wealth of show tunes and iconic musical numbers that have peppered his career, with everything from One Day More from Les Miserables, to Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, to You Will Be Found from Dear Even Hansen, and finally, a frenetic medley of Luck Be a Lady, Singin’ in the Rain, I Got Rhythym, Steppin’ Out With My Baby, Sing Sing Sing, which works to show how important the ‘big number’ musicals were for Jackman’s growth as an artist.
So, again, walking into the arena, you know at the very least that you’re going to be entertained with some enjoyable songs. But, what entertainment! Look, Hugh Jackman may not be the world’s best singer, but what Jackman lacks in vocal brilliance, he more than makes up for with exceptional stage presence, making it feel like he’s embracing everyone in the arena completely. At once, Hugh Jackman can make you feel like he’s singing just for you, but then, at the same time, he will make you feel like you’re united with everyone in the arena. I lost count how many times I would look around the arena and see people singing along with Jackman, or hoisting their phones in the air for a slow number. I won’t lie, there were also more than a few moments where I shed a tear or two from the pure warmth that was thriving in the arena.
This is an all singing, all dancing affair, and by gosh can Hugh Jackman dance. If playing a superhero for almost two decades means that you can move like that, then so be it. While Jackman made a few jokes about husbands being dragged to the show by their wives, it should be known that if there were any such men in the audience, then they should do themselves a favour and book them and their partners in for dancing lessons posthaste, because goodness, if you could even move a little bit like Hugh Jackman, then you will go far.
It takes a genuine talent to wash away the woes of your day and make everything feel just right, and Hugh Jackman, bless him for everything that he does, is that genuine talent. For me, the day leading up to attending the event – one that I’d bought tickets for months before, with the intention of it being a way of celebrating my birthday which would fall the day after – was a torturous one. I’d had a panic attack at work, and was as anxious as ever, feeling like a raw bundle of nerves wrapped up together. It was one of thosedays. But, walking into the arena with my girlfriend, and feeling that tangible electricity that came from the thousands of excited people lined up for a show, and then, experiencing the show, made all that tension and anxiety wash away. Everything felt right.
And, while I didn’t get a personal moment with Hugh Jackman – The Man – there were many audience members who did. Early on in the show, a front row audience member, Kylie, stood out to Jackman, with him stopping between a story about Deborra-Lee to talk to the person who caught his eye. She’d held up a sign that told her story – Kylie was about to undergo surgery due to breast cancer, and was there at the show to celebrate with her friends. Adorned with glitter and sparkles, this hero stood up, and with the support of Hugh Jackman, she told her story to 11,999 strangers, reminding women to be checked for breast cancer, and assuring to do so earlier rather than later. Without a doubt, there were few dry eyes in the house, and Hugh Jackman, clearly emotionally moved by Kylie’s story, struggled to carry on with his story.
Later, Hugh Jackman, playing Peter Allen, pulled David, a man who came all the way from Alice Springs to see this show, and danced with him on stage. This is an extended bit that purely entertains the audience, but what stops it from being a rote ‘I’ve got to involve the audience somehow’ manufactured moment is how genuine and caring and in the moment Hugh Jackman is. Even though he’s playing Peter Allen, with blindingly sparkling attire, it’s clear that Jackman is present as himself, a person, just like you and me, and is there for David (and the audience) to make this moment one to remember.
In a purely Aussie moment, David asks Hugh Jackman what 'that box is' on the edge of the stage. Hugh has no idea, but together they find out that it's a laser box, part of the technical magic of the show. After a few minutes, the initial shock of being dragged on stage in front of everyone simply disappears from David, and no doubt in shock to himself, and his wife, he's up there, dancing, moving, enjoying life and the attention and everything else that comes with a rare moment of spending time on stage with Hugh Jackman. David transforms before our eyes, living for this, moving with the music, and in a bid to show exactly how technical the event is, Hugh tries to show David the little radio box that he wears to connect him to his mic, giving David the opportunity to give the Hugh Jackman a small back massage. It's a hilarious, once in a lifetime moment that is genuine and clearly never to be repeated.
When David mentions that he’s come all the way from Alice Springs to see the show, there was a moment where Hugh Jackman – again, The Man – was speechless. Yes, he’s capital H, capital J, Hugh. Jackman., but that doesn’t take away the clear humbleness that he has. He’s clearly touched that not only is the arena full of 12,000 adoring fans, but that someone would pay their hard earned dollars to fly halfway across Australia to see him. In that moment, he’s immensely touched that David and his wife would travel to see him. You get the impression that Hugh Jackman would be equally thrilled if only 100 people turned up, just honoured to have an audience that wants to spend time with him. A bit later on, a kid dressed up in The Greatest Showman attire manages to get a high five from The Man, and again, the look on Jackman’s face is one of pure awe.
The third part of the title, The Show, is as surprising as the other two parts. The Greatest Showman co-star, Keala Settle, joins Hugh Jackman on the tour, commanding the stage with a powerful performance of This Is Me, and following that up with an equally powerful performance of a song from her forthcoming album. Settle has a voice that knocks you back. It’s overpowering. Putting on my old man shoes for a moment for a minor quibble about RAC Arena, it’s that the audio experience is a little too loud, mildly distorting Settle’s brilliant voice. You get the impression that if the microphone were taken away, Settle would have no trouble amplifying her glorious voice to the cheap seats. What’s even better is simply how thrilled, how tickled pink Settle is to be on this tour. Just like Hugh Jackman, Settle has energy for miles, and has a smile that could power a town.
Later in the show, Jackman makes the event even more memorable, with a simply beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, that follows a Welcome to Country, both of which are delivered with the guidance and assistance from Nathan Mundraby, Olive Knight, Paul Boon, and Clifton Bieundurry. The imagery of the Australian outback unfurls over the giant screens as the beauty of Indigenous Australia takes place on stage. To know that this is the same experience that people in Europe and America would have had as Australia is simply stunning. Hugh Jackman doesn’t just love Australia, he loves it so deeply that he wants to share every single important, valuable, and great thing about it, and by taking the story of Indigenous Australia on the road and showing the world what Indigenous Australia is, well, you can’t help but just love him a little bit more.
And this right here is the enduring aspect of Hugh Jackman – The Man. He is, quite simply, one of the most inclusive entertainers out there. The celebratory flamboyancy of Peter Allen, the genuine love and affection for the gay community, the warm embrace of Indigenous Australia, the care and guidance for the younger generation, ever painfully aware of social anxiety and the difficulties with growing up, and, most importantly, the genuine love, attention, and affection that he has for his audience, is all what makes Hugh Jackman a genuine legend.
Yes, Hugh Jackman is a legend, he is a celebrity, he is the ever enjoyable and adorable antagoniser of Ryan Reynolds (who gets an entertaining dig at during the show), but, he’s also someone who you feel like you could sit down with and be open and honest with. He feels real and like a genuine person. He has been through difficulties in his life, he knows what it means to fail, and what it means to dream, and what the value and importance of success is too, and what kind of responsibility comes with the success that he has had.
As the show comes to an end (with Jackman giving those who like to get out early a ‘two song left’ warning), Jackman manages to do something that I had thought impossible. He manages to unite an arena with the pride of Australia, as he sings with gusto and importance Peter Allen’s most iconic song – I Still Call Australia Home. If ever there were a moment to put forward a petition for this song to become the Australian anthem, it would have been this one: the sight of 12,000 people holding up their mobile phones, illuminating the darkness, creating a beacon of light onto Hugh Jackman and the audience itself, and everyone singing in harmony. Look, I’ve been bitter about the path that Australia has followed over the past few years, terrified of our future, and failing to feel the ‘True Blue Aussie Pride’ that all Australians have apparently flowing through their blood, but in this moment, in this pure, honest, glorious moment, I was proud to be from the same land as Hugh Jackman. I felt something I never thought I’d feel again – felt proud about being Australian .
And if that’s not the sign of a pure legend, a pure icon, a genuine Man, then I don’t know what is. In these difficult times, it’s grand to know that there is someone like Hugh Jackman out there, working to wash away the troubles of the day for his audience. For Kylie, for David, for Tyler, for me, this night will be one to be remembered forever. Thank you Hugh Jackman. You are a bench mark for many.