Of the few people in the world who can say theyve led both box-office-toppling action films and award-winning works of musical theatre, Hugh Jackman is probably one of the most nonchalant about his accomplishments. The actor, who turned 50 this year, just announced a global arena tour off of the success of his latest film,The Greatest Showman, but admits he is still a little nervous about such a big live production which will be all but a one-man world show.
Ahead of the tour which begins next summer and has tickets going on sale this Friday Jackman sat down withRolling Stoneto chat about what audiences can expect to see on stage, as well as his inspiration for the show, his favorite modern performers (Eminem and Janelle Mone among them) and his still-lingering surprise about how a musical about a circus impresario became one of the most successful projects of his career.
Tell us about the genesis of this solo arena tour. Where did the idea come from?
In 2003, I was going on Broadway and the producer said, Youre crazy not to have an album. So I found myself in a recording studio with some amazing people, but I was in the studio because someone said I should do an album, not because I had anything to say so it was terrible. I hated it. I begged them and said, Sorry guys, Im just going to stop. Im going to put together a show and Im going to perform it, and on the back of that Ill see if I want to do an album. Thats when I had the first idea of putting it together. It was 2011 when I first did [a solo show] on Broadway, and this show is an evolution of that. The material keeps on changing and it keeps evolving. Ive turned 50; theres more stories to pull from. But its a work in progress.
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The spotlight will be entirely on you. How are you preparing?
Ive got to tell you, Im never happier than when Im rehearsing or workshopping or when Im doing the show. So basically between now and the show, this is all Im doing. I push myself I try to do things I dont think I can do. And I sing and dance every day, and that allows me to sort of relax when Im up there.
Is there one thing youre particularly excited about for the show?
Im really excited about songs fromThe Greatest Showman,because I know a lot of people connected to that film. When we were getting the film up, we did workshops with 60 or 70 people in the room, so I know these songs work theatrically. But its not The Greatest Showman Live. Were going to sing probably four or five songs from that, and its the same with Les Mis. Also, I just feel I have in the last few years developed a slightly different perspective on life, and Im really excited to share that.
I think I used to be more obsessed with perfection and a little constrained by the idea of making everything perfect. Ive kind of let go of that
How do you mean?
I think I used to be more obsessed with perfection and a little constrained by the idea of making everything perfect. Ive kind of let go of that and Im having a lot more fun, I think. On stage, you have to connect to every single person there; I just want people to feel like they saw something on that night that could only happen in there, and that its not a cookie-cutter performance, and that theres something fresh. I can break off, start talking, ad-lib, tell different stories. I might talk about my day, I might sing a song Ive never sung before.
What are you most apprehensive about?
If I hadnt done arenas before, I wouldnt believe you could feel intimacy and create a show that is theatrical in arenas; my shows very eclectic and I do some Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, some more upscale numbers. But a little part of me still cant believe Im announcing an arena show. So until tickets are sold, Ill probably be a little nervous.
What do you expect the audience to be like?
I think its going to be a real mixed bag.
Youll have your Greatest Showman familyenthusiasts, and then your Wolverine-obsessed teen boys.
Well I dont know how many Wolverine fans will turn up, but I hope they do! And I do tell a few stories about Wolverine; Im going to share some things people dont know about it. But I am sharing every part of my life. Theres no Wolverine kick line, lets be clear. Im amazed at how eclectic the following I have is.The Greatest Showman has surprised me, because I get a lot of young kids now. I look forward tocreating a show that somehow connects with everybody.
Did you expectThe Greatest Showmanto
No, nobody expected it! There was one person to believe that [itd get so big], and that was the director Michael Gracey. Seven or eight years ago he said, Im telling you, were going to make a movie where people are going to see you in a way theyve never seen before, itll be the top movie replayed every Christmas. I wanted to believe him, butI had doubts.
When the movie opened, I think it was at the time the second-worst wide release of all time. I remember the New York Times did a story later saying, Clearly you all disagree with our review. Tell us why. They said theyd never had so many people write in. The people who loved it, loved it. Ive never been stopped on the street so much in my life.
What do people say when they stop you?
Ive seen it 12 times. A lot of people cry. Someone who really touched me was Pink. When I saw her backstage, she grabbed me by the shoulders and said This movie meant so much. The movie is about accepting yourself, dreaming big and going through life with a sense of wonder and magic and gratitude. I think thats something that hit the zeitgeist. It hit a certain vein. Now people are going to sing-alongs and the movie has never even gone off cinemas, I think still playing on 66 screens last week.The story itself is about a man who believed in something no one else believed in, so its kind of incredible how art has imitated life.
Do you have a good track record of predicting how big a film is going to be?
No. No one, including me, expected the first X-Men to do what it did.
The Greatest Showman is a little similar toThe Prestige, in that itsimmered into a cult phenomenon.
Yeah, The Prestige at the time, I was like, wow, Im so proud to be a part of this film and Nolan has done an amazing job and theres Bowie and and Michael Caine but a movie called The Illusionist had come out a few months before, so But now thats another one. I get stopped for that movie a lot. People say I loved you in that movie, Ive watched it five times. They go back to it again and again because there are so many Easter eggs. So, we dont know.
Performers always say that you can get off stage and go, That was terrible, and the director will come up to you and tell you that was your best one. And you go, What! Thats the confounding thing about this job. There are some times you think that felt great, you leave auditions feeling like you got that one, and theyre like, No thanks. But I suppose thats what keeps us coming back for more.
Lets talk about the music itself, for your show. Now that its been a year since the film came out, youve had time to sit with the music. Will you be changing any of the songs? Updating them?
Thats a really good question. Were just working on that right now. For some of the duets, were thinking of bigger dance numbers, or doing something different with the orchestrations. Because now, we are singing a bunch of songs fromThe Greatest Showman because thats a part of my life, but its not The Greatest Showman Live, Im not coming out in a red coat and a hat and all of that. But I understand people want to hear those songs and I cant wait to give it to them. Keala [Settle] is going to come out and sing a bunch of the shows with me, but she cant do all of them because shes in such high demand, which Im thrilled about. But shell do some, and Ill let people know closer to the time.
What about songs from Les Mis? Will they have a twist? What are you envisioning?
Well certainly be doing some kind of medley for Les Mis. I also want to get some guests in. I havent even asked them yet, but Id love to get someone like Phillip Quast to come and do something.I think theres ways to do some of those songs in a way I dont know if I want to re-orchestrate because the orchestrations are so beautiful, but maybe give them to people in a way they havent heard before.
And youll have a full orchestra behind you on stage.
Its a full orchestra. Right now were discussing whether its 26 or 34 people. Thats going to come down to probably someone saying, Dude, you cant afford that! But I love being with live musicians and I love being with full orchestra.
Who are the musicians and performers today who inspire you the most? Whos the most interesting artist to you?
Enimem and Jay-Z are amazing. Both have very different energy. Beyonc. Timberlake is one of the great live performers. I saw Michael Jackson. Colin Hay, who used to be the lead singer of Men at Work if you ever want a masterclass about how to keep an audience in the palm of your hand, hes incredible. Sometimes hell stop halfway through a song and break into a story. I think Janelle Mone is astonishing. I just saw her recently perform. Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga. I get inspiration from so many performances.
Is there other music for you on the horizon, in this show or otherwise?
I really want to do some original music for this show. Im hoping to have written something that I can perform. I really want to write with Justin [Paul] and Benj [Pasek], who didThe Greatest ShowmanandDear Evan Hanson,the musical I loveDear Evan Hansonand I would love to do a song from that as well and Im literally doing all those workshops now, deciding what all the material is going to be.
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