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Hugh Jackman gets emotional as he lauds Broadway actor for stepping into lead role last minute
Broadway’s “The Music Man” swung into high gear last Thursday thanks to one “swing actor.”
Hugh Jackman was "emotional" as he praised a Broadway performer's praises for stepping into the main role in The Music Man with less than eight hours notice. In Meredith Wilson's ragtime musical, Jackman, 53, portrays charming con artist Harold Hill opposite Sutton Foster, 46, as do-gooder piano instructor Marian.
As per PEOPLE, when Foster, 46, was unexpectedly unavailable for the show's fourth preview, understudy Kathy Voytko stepped in with less than eight hours notice, according to Jackman, who praised several of the show's swing performers during a post-show speech. Swing performers may master a half-dozen or more parts in order to be able to fill in at any time. Voytko was notified she'd be filling in for Foster at noon on Thursday, and she was preparing for her star performance as Marian by 1 p.m., according to Jackman.
“It’s not only happening here … but all over Broadway,” Jackman explained, in footage captured by actress Katherine Winter and shared on Facebook. “This is a time we’ve never known. We’re in our fourth preview, we’re all just sort of learning so swings and understudies have not had a chance to learn.” In the midst of the East Coast's current coronavirus pandemic, which has struck New York City hard this week, numerous Broadway musicals have halted production due to a lack of healthy staff members.
Meanwhile, Voytko had tears in her eyes as she and her fellow swings reaped the applause. “Take it from me,” Jackman quipped. “Real superheroes do not wear capes.”
