Hugh Jackman praises Broadway actor who stepped into The Music Man lead role at last moment
‘Take it from me – real superheroes do not wear capes,’ Jackman said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hugh Jackman became “emotional” as he sang the praises of a Broadway performer who stepped into the lead role in The Music Man with less than eight hours notice.
During Thursday (23 December) night’s performance of the 1957 musical, which stars Jackman and opened in previews earlier this week, the role of Marian (usually played by Sutton Foster) was covered by swing Kathy Voytko.
In professional theatre productions, swings learn the parts of up to 10 members of the cast and find out on the day if they will be performing and which role they will be playing.
In a clip taken from the end of Thursday’s show, Jackman is seen telling the audience that Voytko covers eight roles in The Music Man “including the leading lady”, with the crowd whooping in response.
He explained that Voytko was told at midday on Thursday that she would be playing the female lead and went into rehearsals an hour later for that night’s show, which was only the fourth preview of the musical.
Jackman then gathered the other swings on stage, saying: “It’s not only happening here… but all over Broadway. This is a time we’ve never known. We’re in our fourth preview, we’re all just sort of learning so swings and understudies have not had a chance to learn.
“They watch from the corner of a room while we rehearse, while we get to practice over and over again. They just get to watch and write notes and then five hours before performance they’re told, ‘You’re on by the way, you’ve got a wig fitting, go!’”
Getting “emotional” as he gave his speech, Jackman said that he felt “humbled” by their “courage, the brilliance, the dedication, the talent… they are the bedrock of Broadway”.
“Take it from me – real superheroes do not wear capes,” he added with a laugh.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments