Game recognises game, as they say in Hollywood. And Joz Norris – professional purveyor of nonsense – clearly sees a kindred spirit in Hugh Jackman, a genial-seeming Australian man who appears to have had a long and successful career despite the limited nature of his range and the sheer preposterousness of his professional output.
Norris’ last show, “You Wait. Time Passes”, was a hysterical paen to the beauty of dedicating one’s life to silly things, both funny and moving in its commitment to the bit. But he might have topped it here, as – pretending, unconvincingly, to be an Australian movie actor – our charming character comedian dives head first into a big, big pool of sheer stupid.
Let’s recap: Joz is genuinely pretending to be Hugh Jackman, despite all of us knowing he’s definitely not Hugh Jackman. He’s both Jackson and Joz Norris, like two dead cats in the same radioactive box.
Armed with a tight black t-shirt and a cheery demeanour, Norris’ brilliant conceit is that this is Jackman’s acting masterclass, and we’re all here to learn about the two kinds of acting: singing, and Wolverine.
Some, in this tent on a hot bank holiday Saturday, are self-evidently confused as to what’s going on, which if anything makes the whole show more hilarious. Did they think they’d booked tickets to see the actual Hugh Jackman? Were these disappointed fans of celebrity musical theatre? Why does the man on stage that doesn’t look much like Hugh Jackman keep singing with such a ridiculous vibrato?
Your correspondent isn’t sure if he’s entirely qualified to review this show, having never seen The Phantom Of The Opera or – incredibly – any films featuring Hugh Jackman.
It didn’t matter in the slightest. The genius of this show, other than its determination to follow every deluded dream and stupid thought to its (sort of) logical conclusion, is that it clearly comes from a place of love.
Norris doesn’t hate Jackman, and this isn’t a hatchet job or a grotesque parody. It’s about a man and his dreams, it’s about delusion and awareness (or otherwise) of one’s limitations. The “Wolverine” acting – grumpy, sullen, telling people to shut up an awful lot – is a joy; the singing itself is an uncanny attempt at the exact correct pitch of rubbish that Jackman himself brings to his roles (trust me – I’ve now seen him in Les Miserable on YouTube. Let me repeat that – Hugh Jackman, a man best known for playing a man with sharp claws coming out of his fists, was in LES MISERABLES).
As Norris’ inner Jackman, Wolverine, and successful musical theatre performer become increasingly unleashed, the show reaches a genuinely riotous climax, aided by Patrick Stewart, Sir Lloyd-Webber, and some very game audience participation. By the end, even the actual Jackman fans in the audience are convinced.
This is only the fifth time Joz Norris Is Hugh Jackman Is Phanton Of The Opera has been performed, as he builds up the show for an Edinburgh Fringe run in 2027. It’s already perfect. My only wish is Hugh Jackman himself turns up to see it – as I think he too will have a lovely time. Does anyone have his number?
Reviewed on 23rd May
