Hugh Jackman may have vanished from “Houdini,” but he’ll be materializing on Broadway next season in “The River,” a play from London by Jez Butterworth.
Jackman, Broadway’s No. 1 box office draw, withdrew from the “Houdini” musical a couple of weeks ago due to scheduling issues. But he doesn’t like to be away from the theater for long and quickly set about looking for a show.
“The River” was produced in 2012 by the Royal Court Theater and received favorable reviews.
“Hitchcock meets Shirley Valentine,” said the Daily Mail. “Strange, eerie, tense and, on a single viewing, slightly unfathomable,” said The Guardian.
Charles Spencer, long a champion of Butterworth, wrote: “The play grips throughout its 80-minute running time. It is also beautifully written, mixing ‘memory with desire’ in T.S. Eliot’s haunting phrase from ‘The Waste Land.’ ”
Here’s the setup: A man (nameless) invites a woman (also nameless) to his cabin in the woods for the weekend. He’s a fisherman — Butterworth’s favorite hobby — and he teaches her how to fish. He also tells her he loves her. But not all is as it seems, especially when The Other Woman arrives.
If you’re thinking, “One man, two women — sounds like Harold Pinter’s ‘Old Times’ to me,” you win! The play does indeed echo Pinter’s 1971 masterpiece, and Butterworth throws in a few Gothic touches worthy of “Rebecca” for good measure.
London critics praised Ian Rickson’s production, which at the Royal Court starred Dominic West and Miranda Raison.
Rickson will direct the New York production, with Sonia Friedman and the Royal Court producing. (Friedman produced Butterworth’s acclaimed “Jerusalem” with Mark Rylance a couple of seasons ago.)
The women have yet to be cast.
“The River” marks Jackman’s return to Broadway since he shattered every box office record in sight for his sensational one-man show at the Broadhurst.
Is there anything this guy can’t do?
Two years ago, he was singing and dancing up a storm, shaking his maracas in Peter Allen fashion, sending the ladies in the house into a frenzy.
And next season, he’ll be playing a reclusive man with a passion for trout fishing and, perhaps, other, more disturbing hobbies.
But whatever the form — musical, one-man show, drama — one thing is certain: With Jackman’s name above the title, it’s going to be standing room only.
Look for “The River” to open in early 2015. I bet the Shuberts are already re-arranging booking to find Jackman a prime house.