Hugh Jackman to Star in The Boy from Oz Down Under in 2006

The Boy from Oz is returning to Sydney, Australia, where it premiered in 1998. This time around, it will star Aussie native Hugh Jackman, who earned rave reviews and a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway mounting of the musical. Jackman plans to take the show to Sydney in the summer of 2006, according to syndicated columnist Liz Smith.

The Boy from Oz tells the story of Peter Allen, from his humble beginnings growing up in the Australian outback, through a meteoric rise to fame and international stardom, including many record-breaking runs at Radio City Music Hall. Allen became a superstar in the 1980s and is best known for hits like "I Honestly Love You," "I Go to Rio" and the Academy Award-winning theme song from the film Arthur. He is also known for being discovered by Judy Garland and marrying her daughter, Liza Minnelli.

The show received positive reviews when it premiered at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney, Australia on March 5, 1998 under the direction of Gale Edwards. Phillip Wm. McKinley helmed the Broadway mounting, which opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 16, 2003. The show itself received mostly negative reviews in New York, but Jackman garnered great acclaim and the show packed them in each week. It closed on September 12, 2004; the day Jackman's contract expired.

There is no word yet whether anyone else in the Broadway cast which also included Isabel Keating, Stephanie J. Block, Beth Fowler, Jarrod Emick, Michael Mulheren and Mitchel David Federan will be reprising their roles down under.