Hugh Jackman is taking bold action to address the rising costs of Broadway by launching a new theater company, Together, in Manhattan this spring. In partnership with renowned producer Sonia Friedman, Jackman aims to provide affordable, up-close theater experiences by offering low-cost or even free tickets. The project began at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, where Jackman is currently starring alongside Ella Beatty in the emotionally charged play, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. Performances officially begin on Monday, marking the start of an effort to bring theater back to its roots.
During a recent rehearsal at the Minetta Lane Theatre, Jackman, dressed in a blue chore jacket and olive chinos, worked closely with director Ian Rickson on perfecting every detail of his performance. “I want to see their eyes,” Jackman insisted, his focus on breaking down the wall between actor and audience. He portrays Jon, a conflicted college professor, and the entire production was shaped to mimic the intimacy of a university lecture, encouraging audiences to feel directly involved.
Jackman’s vision for Together is clear: create theater that is stripped of costly distractions and focus on the raw power of live performance. Describing his goals, Jackman said, “That feeling in the rehearsal room, with 40 or so chairs, where something special happens. The intimacy you get, where there is no falling candelabra or whatever. Where you can be engrossed by the immediacy.”
This new approach, spearheaded by Hugh Jackman, could reshape New York theater by making it more accessible, intimate, and immediate. Observers and fans alike will watch closely as his company strives to offer genuine theatrical experiences untethered from soaring expenses, potentially inspiring similar changes throughout the theater world.
