It wasn’t the opening number you’d expect from a Hugh Jackman concert. At the beginning of his Friday night show at Radio City Music Hall, the first of a 24-performance residency scheduled through October, the star of stage and screen rose from beneath the stage, strumming a guitar and singing “Crunchy Granola Suite,” looking and sounding like that song’s originator, Neil Diamond.
Wait, what?
The reason became clear when Jackman explained that he recently filmed a movie in which he plays a Neil Diamond impersonator. He announced that it was Diamond’s 84th birthday and asked the audience to join him in offering best wishes, following up the tribute later in the show with a rousing rendition of “Sweet Caroline” in which the crowd happily raised their arms and sung along.
In retrospect, it wasn’t surprising considering that Jackman is more of an actor than singer, even if he’s become a major concert draw. He doesn’t really have a distinct musical identity of his own but rather is most effective when playing characters. In this latest concert show he channels not only Diamond but also Professor Harold Hill, Jean Valjean, P.T. Barnum, and Peter Allen, all of whom he’s played either on stage or screen. Even when he dips into non-theatrical songs like “Fly Me to the Moon” or “That’s Life,” he’s essentially aping Frank Sinatra.
As anyone who’s seen Jackman perform live knows, his rapport with the audience is unmatched. Shortly into the proceedings, he announced, “Here’s the plan,” informing us that the show would run around 105 minutes, depending on how chatty he was, and that there would be no interval and no encore. “We’re already three numbers in, we’re flying!” he exulted as a comically fully redacted set list appeared on a giant screen behind him. He clearly understands that the majority of his fans, at least the non-Wolverine ones, are of a certain age. He was true to his word, with the show, which began at 8:15, finishing shortly after 10pm.
The production is a lavish affair, featuring a large orchestra, or band (even Jackman admitted to being confused as to what to call it), four back-up singers, four dancers, and state-of-the-art projections ranging from abstract backgrounds to clips from his films.
The set list is heavy on numbers from his screen hit The Greatest Showman composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, including “The Greatest Show,” “Come Alive,” “The Other Side” (done as a duet with back-up singer Adam Halpin), “From Now On,” “A Million Dreams” (showcased in an elaborate production number), and “Never Enough.” For the last song, Jackman ceded the stage to a singer he said had been chosen from audition tapes. It turned out to be Gabriela Carillo, currently appearing on Broadway in Six, who knocked it out of the park.
Among the songs taken from Jackman’s films and movies are “Ya Got Trouble,” from his last Broadway appearance in The Music Man, for which he delighted the crowd by venturing into the audience and even sitting on one lucky woman’s lap; “Stars” and “Valjean’s Soliloquy” from Les Miserables, the latter featuring a lengthy clip from the film putting the song into context; and a Peter Allen medley as a callback to his triumphant, Tony-winning performance in The Boy from Oz.
Among the few non-career-oriented numbers is a cover of John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” retitled “Thank God I’m an Ozzy Boy” and featuring amusing lyrics referencing Jackman’s Australian background. Pretending to make up the song on the spot, Jackman quipped, “First night at Radio City, and six verses just came to me.”
One of the evening’s most moving moments came when the performer introduced a friend in the audience, Gus Worland, whom he’s known since kindergarten. Jackman dedicated a moving rendition of “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen to Worland, the founder of an organization dedicated to suicide prevention efforts.
The opening night crowd got a special treat in the form of an audience Q&A session, conducted by none other than surprise guest Ryan Reynolds. The actor at first engaged in his familiar sarcasm, snidely commenting about his Deadpool & Wolverine co-star, “He used to be a movie star, and now…all that singing.” But he soon got serious, paying emotional tribute to Jackman’s decency and kindness to everyone with whom he works. “He’s the best human being I know,” Reynolds said. “And I have four children!”
Not everything in the show works. An energetic rope jumping dance number didn’t quite land, especially when Jackman tripped up, although he salvaged it by surprising his trainer, who performed it with him, by bringing on two Rockettes to perform an impromptu high-kick routine with her. And although he prefaces it with a touching anecdote about his father, the song “All My Days” from his 2011 film Real Steel and accompanied by a lengthy clip from the film, feels like filler.
But the evening is always carried along by the performer’s endless charm, energy, and charisma, not to mention the genuineness that he exudes from every pore. “I hosted the Tonys here 22 years ago, and my dream was to perform here. Thank you for being here,” a visibly emotional Jackman told the crowd after singing, what else, “New York, New York.” It’s a safe bet that they’ll continue to be there for as many shows as he decides to do.
Hugh Jackman: From New York, With Love opened January 24, 2025 at Radio City Music Hall and runs intermittently through October 4. Tickets and information: msg.com
