| Hugh Jackman charms broadway - Jun 8, 2004
Hugh Jackman was crowned the king of Broadway on Sunday, charming a star-studded audience with wisecracks and high kicks, then claiming the best actor Tony Award for The Boy From Oz.
Jackman was the master of ceremonies for the 58th Annual Tony Awards in Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall.
At the end of the ceremony, when he was named best actor in a musical, Jackman received a 20 second standing ovation.
"I'm going to start with the most important, my wife. I love you," said Jackman, close to tears during his acceptance speech, as he looked at his Australian actress wife Deborra-Lee Furness in the audience.
"I couldn't have done this without you and even if I could, it certainly wouldn't have been as much fun as it is ... I love you darling.
"And to my dad, who has flown all the way from Australia, I love you dad."
The 35-year-old Sydney-born actor had carved a place for himself in Hollywood with a slate of blockbuster films, including the two X-Men movies, and on stage in London's West End with the 1998 revival of Oklahoma!
The Tony Award for best actor in a musical cements his place in history on Broadway.
Jackman was honoured for his portrayal of flamboyant Australian entertainer Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, and the actor devoted the award to Allen.
"Peter, it's an honour to play you and I dedicate this Tony to your memory," said Jackman, holding his Tony.
Allen died of AIDS in 1992. He was 48.
Another Australian, the late Nick Enright, wrote the original book The Boy From Oz and was also nominated for a Tony, although he missed out.
"Nick, I know you are probably up there with Peter Allen having a beer," Jackman said.
"Or a pina colada, I'm not sure.
"But I share this with you."
Jackman also thanked Todd McKenney, the Australian actor who first played Allen in The Boy From Oz when it opened in Australia.
"You left me huge shoes to fill, so I share this with you," he said.
It was a busy night for Jackman, and the second consecutive year he compered the awards.
Dressed in a three-piece pin-striped suit and vibrant red tie, Jackman opened the show with a spark, singing One Night Only, from the 1981 musical Dreamgirls, with a stage full of dancers from other nominated shows.
The opening number climaxed with Jackman linking arms with 24 long-legged members of the famous female New York dance troupe, The Rockettes, and, with a big smile on his face, high-kicking towards the audience.
"I knew these long legs would come in handy," Jackman quipped.
Jackman had many in Hollywood questioning his choice to take a break from feature films, and the multi-million dollar pay cheques, to the risky role of Allen on Broadway.
The singing, dancing and acting role was also gruelling, involving eight performances a week in New York's 1500 seat Imperial Theatre.
The Boy From Oz - the first Australian musical to be staged on Broadway - also drew stinging reviews, although even the harshest critics had praise for Jackman.
The Boy From Oz follows the life of Allen, from his early days growing up in the outback town of Tenterfield in NSW, his performances in pubs while a kid, his marriage to Liza Minnelli and his relationship with mother-in-law Judy Garland. | |
