Hugh Jackman Rumored to Star as Houdini in 2010
People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” Hugh Jackman may be making a magical return to Broadway. Fox News reports that the megastar, whose new film epic Australia hits theaters November 26, is working on magic routines in preparation for starring in Broadway’s forthcoming Jack O’Brien helmed Houdini, a musical retelling of the famed magician’s life set to debut in 2010.
Jackman, who won a Tony Award for his turn in 2003’s The Boy From Oz and garnered accolades for his performance as a troubled magician in the 2006 film The Prestige, is reportedly being assisted in prepping for Houdini by magic expert Ricky Jay. Names like pop-illusionist David Blaine and the Cirque du Soleil company have also been mentioned as potential creative consultants for the musical’s production team.
The previously announced Houdini will feature music by screen composer Danny Elfman an Oscar nominee for the scores of Good Will Hunting, Men in Black and Big Fish and composer of themes for TV shows such as The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives, lyrics by David Yazbek Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty and a book by bestselling author and journalist Kurt Andersen Heyday. The show will mark the producing debut of architect and designer David Rockwell, who is also slated to design the show’s sets, in partnership with The Color Purple’s Scott Sanders. The initial annoucement projected that Houdini will arrive on Broadway in 2010.
Harry Houdini 1874-1926, one of the world's most famous and stupefying escape artists, was known for his death-defying stunts and ability to outwit any restraint or obstacle, from handcuffs to jail cells to underwater traps and underground caves. The story of the magician's inability to satisfy his obsessive quest to challenge the limitations of being human, Houdini deals with the human yearning for astonishment and miracles and the quest to defy death.
No official details regarding timing, casting or additional creatives for the musical have been announced at this time.
