| The Boy from Oz | |
| Music: | Peter Allen |
| Lyrics: | Peter Allen |
| Basis: | The Boy from Oz (1996), biography by Stephen MacLean |
| Productions: | 1998 Sydney 2003 Broadway 2006 Australian arena tour 2013 Lima, Perú 2018 Melbourne 2021 Perth |
The Boy from Oz is an Australian jukebox musical based on the life of singer and songwriter Peter Allen, featuring songs written by him. The book commissioned for the musical is by Nick Enright, based on Stephen MacLean's 1996 biography of Allen.Premiering in Australia in 1998 starring Todd McKenney, a revised version of the musical, written by Martin Sherman, opened on Broadway in 2003, with Hugh Jackman in the title role.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 the cast recording won the ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album.[1]
This synopsis applies to the North American production.
While in New York, Peter is introduced to Judy's daughter, Liza, and they fall in love ("Best That You Can Do"). There are rumors of Peter's homosexuality, and Judy warns Liza ("Don't Wish Too Hard"). Liza gives no attention to her warning and marries Peter ("Come Save Me").
Peter makes some mistakes, and at one of his all night parties, Liza walks in on him ("Continental American"), further fueling her suspicions that he is gay. Liza is working hard to get her career going ("She Loves to Hear the Music"), in contrast to Peter's excessive lifestyle. Judy dies, and Peter honors her ("Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage"). Liza's world comes crashing down as a result of her mother's death.
Liza confronts Peter on his alleged homosexuality, and their marriage ends ("I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love"). Peter returns to Australia but realizes that he is not who people thought he was ("Not the Boy Next Door").
Greg becomes stricken with advanced HIV, (then known as AIDS defining illness), and even though Peter tries to help him carry on, he succumbs to his illness ("Love Don't Need a Reason"). Peter also becomes sick with advanced HIV, but Greg's spirit urges him to carry on ("I Honestly Love You"). Liza offers her support to Peter, and they both realize they had successful lives and careers without each other ("You and Me").
Peter returns to Australia and tries to tell his mother about his illness, but ultimately can't find a way to tell her. He then performs one last magnificent concert for Australia ("I Still Call Australia Home"), and witnesses a last flashback of his mother's love for him ("Don't Cry Out Loud"). Peter reflects on his life, realizing he has no regrets, before he ultimately succumbs to his disease ("Once Before I Go"), but not before going out in style with a farewell performance ("I Go to Rio"), joined by the entire cast.[2]
Stephen MacLean idolised Allen, followed his career all over the world, interviewed him many times, and filmed his Australian solo cabaret debut. After Allen's death in 1992, MacLean started work on his biography of Allen, which was published in 1996, entitled Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz, (alternative title The Boy from Oz: The Peter Allen Story).[3]
While working on the biography, MacLean suggested making a biographical film about Allen to producer Ben Gannon, having previously alerted Gannon to Allen's work back in the early 1970s. Gannon, however, thought that a documentary should come first, and produced The Boy from Oz, written and directed by MacLean. This screened on ABC Television in 1995.[4]
After the biography was published in 1996, Gannon and Robert Fox decided to use the work as the basis for a stage musical. The book to be used for the show was commissioned from Nick Enright, and MacLean acted as consultant on workshopping the musical.[4]
The Boy from Oz had its world premiere, directed by Gale Edwards, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, on 5 March 1998 and toured Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, playing to over 1.2 million theatre patrons. It ran for a total 766 performances over two years.[5] [6] The production starred Todd McKenney as Allen and Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett as Judy Garland, Angela Toohey as Liza Minnelli, and introduced Mathew Waters as Young Peter.
The Boy from Oz began previews on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on 16 September 2003 and opened on 16 October 2003. It closed on 12 September 2004, at the end of Hugh Jackman's contract. It was adapted for the American audience by playwright Martin Sherman, who removed some of the Australian terms (such as "jackaroo") and expanded the role of U.S. characters Garland and Minnelli. The musical played 32 previews and 365 performances. Directed by Philip William McKinley, with choreography by Joey McKneely, it starred Jackman as Allen, Isabel Keating as Garland, Stephanie J. Block as Minnelli, Beth Fowler as Marion, Jarrod Emick as Greg, and John Hill as Mark Herron (Judy's husband). Jackman won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and Keating won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. The show also received nominations for four other Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[7]
Ben Brantley of The New York Times panned the show, calling it an "indisputably bogus show", but praised Jackman's performance.[8] The musical recouped its investment of $8.25 million.[9]
The Boy from Oz returned to Australia from 3 August to 10 September 2006 in a new production especially designed for the arena stage (audiences of over 10,000 people), called Boy from Oz Arena Spectacular. Directed by American choreographer Kenny Ortega, Hugh Jackman reprised his New York role as Allen. He was joined by Australian actresses Chrissy Amphlett and Angela Toohey, reprising their roles as Garland and Minnelli. Shardyn Fahey-Leigh played the role of Young Allen with Dylan Speedy. Rarmian Newton and Joshua Waiss Gates, both of whom later starred in Billy Elliot the Musical, were understudies in the Australian production. Peter's mother, Marion, was played by Colleen Hewett.[10] [11] The show had a support cast of 40 singer-dancers and a 25-piece orchestra.[12]
The show also featured the vocals of Australian girls' high school choirs from Penrhos College when in Perth, and, while in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, it featured the vocals of 100 girls from the Australian Girls Choir.[11]
In 2010, McKenney returned to the title role with The Production Company in a version of the show that climaxed with an Allen recording projected on the stage. In 2018, to celebrate the show's twentieth anniversary, The Production Company staged a new production with anachronistic elements such as Aboriginal and rainbow flags. Rohan Browne starred as Allen, with Caroline O’Connor as Garland, Loren Hunter as Minnelli, and Maxwell Simon as Greg.
In 2021, Platinum Entertainment presented "The Boy From Oz" at Crown Theatre - one of the only venues in the world producing large scale theatre at the time. Directed and choreographed by Drew Anthony, and musically directed by Joe Louis Robinson, the show debuted Ethan Jones in the title role of Allen alongside Lucy Williamson as Garland, Elethea Sartorelli as Minnelli, Casey Edwards as Marion, and Peter Cumins as Greg. An acknowledgement of country was presented by Jones as Allen in the introduction to "I Still Call Australia Home". The production included a full stage LED screen with integrated audio-visuals throughout, and concluded with a transition from Jones to the late Allen singing "Once Before I Go".
In Peru, the show premiered in May 2013, starring Marco Zunino as Allen,[13] Érika Villalobos appeared as Liza and Elena Romero as Judy . It was the first Spanish language adaptation.[14]
| Song | Performer(s) | Composers | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not the Boy Next Door | Peter and Trio | Not the Boy Next Door | ||
| If You Were Wondering | Peter | I Could Have Been a Sailor | ||
| Name in Lights | Young Peter and Ensemble | Legs Diamond | ||
| Pretty Keen Teen | Peter, Chris Bell and Ensemble | The Allen Brothers | ||
| All I Wanted Was the Dream | Judy Garland | Legs Diamond | ||
| Only an Older Woman | Judy, Peter, Chris and Mark | |||
| Don't Wish Too Hard | Ensemble | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | I Could Have Been a Sailor | |
| Somebody's Angel | Trio | Bi-Coastal | ||
| Sure Thing Baby | Liza Minnelli | Legs Diamond | ||
| Quiet Please | Peter, Liza, Judy and Ensemble | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Taught by Experts | |
| I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love | Liza | I Could Have Been a Sailor | ||
| Bi-Coastal | Trio | Allen, David Foster, Tom Keane | Bi-Coastal | |
| Taught by Experts | Judy and Peter | Taught by Experts | ||
| Name in Lights (Reprise) | Young Peter and Ensemble | Legs Diamond | ||
| Not the Boy Next Door (Reprise) | Peter and Trio | Not the Boy Next Door |
| Song | Performer(s) | Composers | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When Everything Old is New Again | Peter and The Rockettes | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Continental American | |
| Best That You Can Do | Liza and Peter | Allen, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross | Arthur | |
| Love Don't Need a Reason | Peter and Trio | Allen, Michael Callen, Marsha Malamet | Making Every Moment Count | |
| She Loves to Hear the Music | Trio | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Taught by Experts | |
| Fly Away | Peter | Bi-Coastal | ||
| I Honestly Love You | Greg | Allen, Jeff Barry | Continental American | |
| I Still Call Australia Home | Peter and Ensemble | Bi-Coastal | ||
| Legs Diamond Opener/Name in Lights (Reprise) | Peter/Young Peter and Ensemble | Legs Diamond | ||
| Don't Cry Out Loud | Marion | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | I Could Have Been a Sailor | |
| Tenterfield Saddler | Peter | Tenterfield Saddler | ||
| I Go to Rio | Peter and Company | Allen, Anderson | Taught by Experts | |
| Once Before I Go | Peter | Not the Boy Next Door |
| Song | Performer(s) | Composers | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lives of Me | Peter | Peter Allen, 1971 self-titled album | ||
| When I Get My Name in Lights | Boy and Ensemble | Legs Diamond | ||
| When I Get My Name in Lights (Reprise) | Peter | |||
| Love Crazy | Chris Bell, Peter and Ensemble | It Is Time for Peter Allen, live album | ||
| Waltzing Matilda (in Mandarin) | Peter and Chris | Banjo Patterson | ||
| All I Wanted Was the Dream | Judy | Legs Diamond | ||
| Only an Older Woman | Judy, Peter, Chris and Mark | |||
| Peter and Liza | Arthur | |||
| Don't Wish Too Hard | Judy | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | I Could Have Been a Sailor | |
| Come Save Me | Liza and Peter | Legs Diamond (cut) | ||
| Continental American | Peter and Ensemble | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Continental American | |
| She Loves to Hear the Music | Liza and Ensemble | Taught by Experts | ||
| Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage | Peter and Judy | |||
| I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love | Liza and Peter | I Could Have Been a Sailor | ||
| Not the Boy Next Door | Peter and Marion | Allen (music), Dean Pitchford (lyrics) | Not the Boy Next Door |
| Song | Performer(s) | Composers | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-Coastal | Peter and Trio | Allen, David Foster, Tom Keane | Bi-Coastal | |
| If You Were Wondering | Peter and Greg | I Could Have Been a Sailor | ||
| Sure Thing Baby | Dee Anthony, Greg, Peter, Trio and Male Ensemble | Legs Diamond | ||
| Everything Old is New Again | Peter and The Rockettes | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Continental American | |
| Everything Old is New Again (Reprise) | Marion, Dee and Greg | |||
| Love Don't Need a Reason | Peter and Greg | Allen, Michael Callen, Marsha Malamet | Making Every Moment Count | |
| Greg | Allen, Jeff Barry | Continental American | ||
| You and Me | Liza and Peter | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | Not the Boy Next Door | |
| Peter and Ensemble | Bi-Coastal | |||
| Marion | Allen (music), Sager (lyrics) | I Could Have Been a Sailor | ||
| Once Before I Go | Peter | Not the Boy Next Door | ||
| Peter and Company | Allen, Anderson | Taught by Experts |
In his review of the Broadway production for The New York Times, Ben Brantley wrote, "His limbs twirling like the blades of a windmill, Mr. Jackman channels the energy that was Allen with a rejuvenating life force all his own. And you don’t feel — as you so often do with such interpretations — that your memories of the prototype have been blurred. This is a performance that, against the odds, holds on to its integrity." However Brantley went on to write: "...this musical settles for a staleness and a hollowness that even Mr. Jackman's blazing presence can't disguise."[8]
In his review for Variety of the Broadway production, Charles Isherwood praised Jackman but panned the show: "Jackman is giving a vital and engaging performance in this pitifully flimsy musical almost in spite of the material he’s been handed. It’s a sad waste of an exciting talent."[15]
David Rooney, writing in Variety about the Australian arena tour, said, "When he first performed the role on Broadway in 2003, Hugh Jackman’s charisma, vitality and breezy confidence onstage far outshone the narrative or emotional scope of the by-the-numbers biomusical of singer-songwriter Peter Allen. The scales have been tipped even further toward the performer in this pumped-up reconfiguration of the show, playing state capitals in venues of 10,000 seats or more. It’s as much a concert platform for a returning local boy made good in Hollywood as it is a life story of Peter Allen. And that’s no bad thing."[16]
Jackman's performance of "Once Before I Go" was featured in a montage dedicated to Alex Trebek in his final episode of Jeopardy!, which aired on January 8, 2021, exactly two months after Trebek's death from stage IV pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020 at the age of 80.[17] [18]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Helpmann Awards | Best Musical | ||
| Best New Australian Work | Nick Enright | |||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Gale Edwards | |||
| Best Choreography in a Musical | Anthony Van Laast | |||
| Best Male Actor in a Musical | Todd McKenney | |||
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Chrissy Amphlett | |||
| Best Musical Direction | Max Lambert | |||
| Best Sound Design | Wyn Milsom | |||
The original Australian production was also received six Melbourne Green Room Awards for 1999, including Outstanding Contribution by a Music Theatre Management.[19] It was also nominated for the Green Room Award for Best New Australian Play.[20]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Tony Award | Best Musical | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Martin Sherman and Nick Enright | |||
| Best Actor in a Musical | Hugh Jackman | |||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Beth Fowler | |||
| Isabel Keating | ||||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Hugh Jackman | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Mitchel David Federan | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Isabel Keating | |||
| Theatre World Award | Mitchel David Federan | |||
| Hugh Jackman | ||||
| Isabel Keating | ||||