You probably know Hugh Jackman as the angry mutant amnesiac they call Wolverine from the X-Men franchise. Or maybe as the monster hunting Van Helsing. Or perhaps you’ve heard of him as a magician in a homicidal feud with Christian Bale in The Prestige. What you probably don’t know is that this rough and tough actor also has very impressive musical career.

Hugh Jackman starred in a fantastic Broadway musical called The Boy from Oz, for which he received a Tony Award for his performance as singer/songwriter Peter Allen, as well as in the London Cast Revival of Oklahoma! On top of that, he hosted the Tony Awards three times and attempted to produce a failed musical TV show called Viva Laughlin (it wasn’t very good, but it’s the thought that counts.) With all of these musicals, its a wonder how he finds time to make movies.

Currently, Mr. Jackman is back on Broadway, in a concert show simply titled  “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway.” Like his previous Broadway show, it is being praised by critics (including this rather gushing review), and if there is anything I can do to convince you to see this show, I will do it. I saw The Boy from Oz a while back and I can tell you how fantastic he was in both his acting and his singing. The only thing that should be keeping you from going to see this show is that due to the high demand of tickets, seats are very expensive.

Hugh Jackman is an excellent example of a lost form of actor. Back in the day, the best actors were all singers and dancers. There was a performance aspect to acting which is lost these days. People like Danny Kaye, Dick Van Dyke, and even Gene Wilder are just some of the actors who were also great performers. It’s a shame that this sort of actor is rarely seen today.

But not all is lost. Hugh Jackman may be an indicator of a new trend of performance actors. Sitcom stars Jason Segal and Neil Patrick Harris have both been seen singing and dancing in different productions, with Jason Segal coming out with his Muppet movie next week and Neil Patrick Harris having hosted the Tony Awards last year. In fact, he did an excellent duet with Hugh Jackman during his performance. Here’s to hoping that this is a true revival of a forgotten trade and not just a fad that will pass.

Here’s a link to the official site of “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway.”