With his time on the X-Men film series wrapping up nearly five years ago, and having recently appeared in movies like Bad Education and Reminiscence, Hugh Jackman has been keeping busy recently performing in Broadway’s last revival of The Music Man. However, the stage musical has hit a setback, as Jackman has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, The Music Man is halting performances for a spell.
Hugh Jackman announced on Twitter that he learned he contracted COVID this morning, though fortunately, his symptoms are mild, comparable to a cold. You can watch his full message below:
Just wanted you to hear it from me. I tested positive for covid. Mild symptoms and as soon as I’m cleared … looking forward to getting back to The Winter Garden! @MusicManBway pic.twitter.com/q1oEAzXX02December 28, 2021
As far as The Music Man goes, all performances have been cancelled through January 1, so if any of you were planning to see the musical during that time, you can be issued a refund or exchange at the point of purchase. Although performances will resume on January 2, Hugh Jackman will not return to play Harold Hill until January 6. EW has also confirmed that after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier, Jackman’s co-star Sutton Foster will resume playing Marian Paroo on January 2.
The Music Man had previously scrapped its December 25 performance and December 26 matinee in response to the spreading Omicron variant. It’s just one of many Broadway productions that have had to cancel performances over the holiday season, with others including The Lion King and Moulin Rouge!. Still, at least The Music Man isn’t one of the productions that’s been forced to straight up end its run, like Ain’t Too Proud, Jagged Little Pill and Thoughts of a Colored Man.
Before he was cast to play Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men, Hugh Jackman began his professional acting career on stage, and even as he’s become one of Hollywood most well-known actors, he still frequently returns to his performing roots. Jackman’s previous Broadway outings include The Boy from Oz, A Steady Rain and the appropriately-named Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, the latter of which saw him signing various Broadway and Hollywood musical numbers accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra. Jackman also shined on the musical front through hosting the Tony Awards numerous times and playing P.T. Barnum in 2017’s The Greatest Showman.
The Music Man is currently in preview showings, with the official opening set for February 10 at the Winter Garden Theatre. For those unfamiliar with this musical by Meredith Wilson that launched in 1957 and has been adapted for film and television, it follows a con man named Harold Hill who comes River City, Iowa to sell brand instruments and uniforms, as well as promises to give the town’s youths music lessons, though he initially has no intention on following through with the latter. However, upon meeting librarian Marian Paroo, who’s the only musically-trained person in River City, Harold finds himself falling in love and coming to truly care for the townsfolk. The original Music Man production won five Tony Awards in 1958 and was nominated in four other categories.
As for Hugh Jackman’s film career, he’s next set to appear alongside Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and Anthony Hopkins in The Son (which doesn’t have a release date yet), and has also made it clear he won’t be reprising Wolverine given how things ended for his incarnation of the character in Logan. We’ll keep you posted on more news about Jackman’s professional endeavors in the coming year and beyond.
