HUGH Jackman is fast becoming one of Hollywood’s the top leading men. So why on earth is the Australian heartthrob taking a year away from the movies to swish around Broadway as Peter Allen in “The Boy From Oz”?
It seems that Jackman was a big fan of the gay entertainer and wants to celebrate the life of his fellow Aussie, who – after Crocodile Dundee and some very fine chardonnay – is that country’s most successful export. Jackman is also a song-and-dance man at heart, and this show, which features a score` made up of Allen’s hit songs (“I Go to Rio,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud”), will give him a chance to strut his stuff. Broadway insiders say Jackman’s performance will be the event of the fall, and while they’re not as enthusiastic about the musical itself, they believe that as long as he’s in it, “The Boy From Oz,” opening Oct. 16, will pack the Imperial Theater.
Here’s what else is cooking on Broadway this fall, with opening dates where available:
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
This campy off-Broadway show from the ’80s is being revived on Broadway for $10 million. Expect the man-eating plant to be really big. Oct. 2, The Virginia
GOLDA’S BALCONY
Tovah Feldshuh (wearing a prosthetic nose) stars in this one-woman show about Golda Meir, which played off-Broadway last season. Oct. 15, The Helen Hayes
RETREAT FROM MOSCOW
The great Eileen Atkins and John Lithgow star in this drama about the breakup of a long marriage. Intelligent, sophisticated, adult play by William Nicholson. Oct. 23, Booth
SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS
Mark Hamill and Polly Bergen star in this play about a dance teacher who gives a widow a reason to live. Soapy. Oct. 29, Belasco
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Ashley Judd, making her Broadway debut, stars as Maggie the Cat in this Tennessee Williams classic. Jason Patric is her possibly bisexual husband, Brick, and Ned Beatty plays Big Daddy. Nov. 2, The Music Box
THE VIOLET HOUR
Robert Sean Leonard stars in this dense but deeply moving play by Richard Greenberg about an ambitious publisher at the beginning of his career. Anything by Greenberg, who won a Tony last year for “Take Me Out,” is worth seeing. November, the Biltmore
THE CARETAKER
Patrick Stewart stars in this revival of Harold Pinter’s compelling and terrifying play. Nov. 9, the American Airlines Theater
TABOO
Rosie O’Donnell is investing $9 million of her own money in this British import about the life of pop singer Boy George, who also appears in the show. Could be a big hit – or a juicy, gossip lover’s megaflop. Nov. 13, Plymouth
JACKIE MASON’S LAUGHING ROOM ONLY
The popular comedian returns to Broadway in a revue modeled on the popular TV show “Laugh-In.” Nov. 19, Brooks Atkinson
HENRY IV, PARTS I and II
Kevin Kline, Ethan Hawke and Billy Crudup star in a conflated version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece about a boy who grows up to be a king. Nov. 20, Vivian Beaumont
WONDERFUL TOWN
A revival of Leonard Bernstein and Comden and Green’s comic fable about two sisters from Ohio who come to New York to find fame, fortune and love. This production was first staged at Encores! three years ago. Will it be another “Chicago”? Probably not, but it’s worth seeing just for Donna Murphy, who’s hilarious in the leading role. Nov. 23, the Hirschfeld
BOBBI BOLAND
Farrah Fawcett stars in this comedy about a desperate former Florida beauty queen and her ambitious young rival. Nov. 24, theater to be announced
OLDEST LIVING CONFEDERATE WIDOW TELLS ALL
A one-woman show chronicling the life a widow of a Civil War veteran stars Ellen Burstyn. TBA
I AM MY OWN WIFE
Provocative one-man play about a Berlin transvestite who survived the Nazis and the Communists, only to be revealed after the Wall fell as a former spy for the East German police. Dec. 3, the Lyceum
NEVER GONNA DANCE
A new musical based on the Fred Astaire movie “Swing Time.” Glorious songs by Jerome Kern. Dec. 4, the Broadhurst
