Return to : Hugh Jackman Goes Gay Again

 Hugh Jackman will revisit his Tony Award-winning role as as gay singer-songwriter Peter Allen in his new one-man show, according to a new interview with Playbill.

Jackman earned a 2004 Tony Award as best leading actor in a musical for his acclaimed performance as Allen in The Boy from Oz, the first Australian musical to reach Broadway. He confirms that he will revisit both the character and select songs from the hit musical biography in his solo act Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway, which is now in previews and will open November 10 at the Broadhurst Theatre.

“Peter Allen actually makes a comeback, sequins and all, which I really enjoy,” says Jackman, who looks back on the role as the turning point in his career. “We did not get great reviews when we opened, but I felt strongly about the show, I could feel we were connecting with the audience, and I knew the audience loved it. I carried with me the great feeling of knowing that, whatever happened with the show, I’d done the right thing. Then it turned around and became a big hit, I won the Tony Award, and it was probably the best year of my life.”

Also known for blockbuster action films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Real Steel, Jackman reveals the driving force behind the career diversity that Saturday Night Live has lampooned in the recurring sketch “The Best of Both Worlds with Hugh Jackman,” which jokes that the versatile actor is “both the most masculine and the most feminine man in the world.”

“Honestly, it’s basically been about avoiding unemployment,” Jackman explains. “When I first graduated from drama school, my goal was to keep pushing open as many doors as possible, so that included all different types of film, musical theater, and straight plays. I figured, well, I’m pretty good at quite a few things, so I’ll keep on working at all of them. I also feel that it’s good for actors to say ‘yes’ and risk making fools out of themselves. Ultimately, that approach has been something that’s defined me in this business.”

After Back on Broadway ends its limited engagement January 1, the 43-year-old performer will shoot the Wolverine sequel and play Jean Valjean in the film version of Les Misérables opposite Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway.