So I'm twittering with Broadway.com the other day just for fun -- I love Broadway and like keeping up on what's happening. They decide to give tickets away! I lost the first time they did this but I won this time! Two free tickets to see two of the hottest names on Broadway -- Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman -- in the play A Steady Rain. My daughter and I hopped on the train, headed into the city and claimed our orchestra seats. The play was good and it was interesting seeing both Jackman and Craig without their accents in a play, not a musical, just the two of them, two chairs and their acting skills. Impressive.
After the show, Wolverine, er...Jackman (sorry can't help it) asked for a minute of our time for a good cause. And when Hugh Jackman asks for a minute of your time, well, you sit. Jackman and Craig were raising money for Broadway Cares, an amazing charity that fights AIDS and one that I fully support, and were selling autographed posters and playbills. Granted, I couldn't swing the $1,000 asking price, but I donated some money anyway because every bit helps.
Then they decided to auction off the shirts off their backs! Women screamed and the actors turned their backs to the audience and teased us with a quasi strip tease. They asked for an opening bid of $1,000 which would get the winner the shirts, personally autographed, and backstage passes to meet the actors and take pictures. Boy I wish I was richer! In less than 5 minutes, the actors raised $30,000 between three bidders who each bid $10,000 and the actors decided to give each of them something for their bids. Plus they earned whatever they raised with the posters and playbills. An amazing experience for everyone involved.
While I was waiting for the show to start, I read that Jackman's auctioned off things from other plays he's been in to raise millions for Broadway Cares. It's obvious that Jackman and Craig care. And we should too. (I saw Hugh Jackman do a strip tease 20 feet in front of me!!!!!!! Okay I'm calm now. No I'm not!!!!!!!)
5 comments:
Wow! What a great experience! The definite advantage of living in NY!
These are such great guys for doing this. I'm a big Daniel Craig fan and a first-time reader of your blog, but I love hearing about celebrities helping out so I will definitely be back here. Is Hugh in any dramatic movies like DC in Flashbacks of a Fool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baecuiuwq-s)? All I know him from is X-men
Glad I found your blog. BC/EFA just culminated their 6 week Broadway fund raising campaign and Hugh & Daniel smashed all previous records for money raised by one show. Their show raised $1.5+ million during this period. Hugh was also the previous record holder having won the honor when he was in The Boy From Oz.
Hugh Jackman is a tireless fundraiser for many causes. He plays host for many charity/benefit galas/shows and provides items for many charity auctions. He's also the ambassador for the World Vision organization. He doesn't aggrandize his works, just quietly goes about being a great citizen of the world.
As to dramatic works, Tonya, his best movies so far are The Fountain and The Prestige both very different and very good movies. The Fountain is definitely a thinking person's movie but is starting to gain some cult status as more and more people discover it. If you want to see him in a musical, stage performance, rent the DVD of the 1998 West End production of Oklahoma! It's the best version ever and that was the view of the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization not just fans :) If you're a fan of musicals you'll want to buy it.
Tonya, I forgot to mention last year's movie, Australia. It didn't get the press it deserved because, unfortunately, a lot of industry people hate Baz Luhrman but it was a terrific movie if you like epics. Most regular people who saw it loved it.
Craig is doing one of the best Bond's ever, the new Bond is more of a killer and a little less of a womanizer.
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