Hugh Jackman breaks broadway records

NEW YORK (AP):

Hugh Jackman has left Broadway with a lot of broken hearts and records.

The Australian actor's one-man Broadway concert show closed on Sunday afternoon at the Broadhurst Theatre after having earned US$2,057,354 in its final week, the highest weekly gross recorded by the Shubert Organisation, which owns the Broadhurst and 16 other Broadway theatres.

Over its 10-week run, Jackman earned a whopping US$14,638,428, producers said. He now owns 10 of the 11 top-grossing weeks at the Broadhurst.

Jackman, best known for being the hairy Wolverine in The X-Men franchise, routinely sold out the 1,176-seat theatre and usually posted weekly grosses of US$1.5 million, often higher than rival musicals such as Jersey Boys, Mama Mia! How to Succeed in Business, Anything Goes and Follies.

Only Wicked and The Lion King, produced by other organisations, consistently outdid Jackman. But those shows also had much higher overhead costs.

The previous record at the Broadhurst was held by the Al Pacino-led The Merchant of Venice, which took in US$1,175,750 last year. Until now, the Shubert Organisation's one-week biggest haul was Billy Elliot, which earned US$1,663,895 during an eight-show stretch last year.

Bankable stars

During the run, Jackman raised a record US$1,789,580 for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The run "not only confirms him as one of the most bankable stars in Broadway's history but also as a fund-raiser," producer Robert Fox said.

Backed by an 18-piece orchestra and six leggy dancers, a charming Jackman belted out about two dozen musical theatre songs in Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway. It was his third time on the Great White Way, following The Boy From Oz in 2003 and the play A Steady Rain with Daniel Craig in 2009.

The show featured his interpretations of songs ranging from the sexy R&B tune Fever to Rock Island, from The Music Man to a medley of classic movie songs such as Singin' in the Rain and Luck Be a Lady. The average ticket went for US$160, with top premiums going for US$350.

Some of the highlights included the eight-minute Soliloquy from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and a collection of songs from Jackman's Tony Award-winning turn in The Boy From Oz while wearing Peter Allen-inspired matching gold lamé pants and jacket, and gold shoes.

Jackman's other stage credits include Australian productions of Sunset Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast. In London, he starred as Curly in Trevor Nunn's staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Next year, he plans to star in a version of the musical Les Miserables.