'Oz' takes Broadway by storm

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- "The Boy From Oz," the first Australian musical to make it to Broadway, is already one of the hottest tickets in town -- and it doesn't even open until Thursday.

With $10 million in advance ticket sales and stars packing preview performances to see Hugh Jackman channel the late, great entertainer Peter Allen, the show seems destined to be one of the season's biggest success stories.

Jackman's portrayal of Liza Minnelli's former husband is literally stopping the show with a standing ovation following the powerful ballad "Once Before I Go." The song, which Allen wrote for 1960s icon Ann-Margret, became her signature concert tune. She recently stopped backstage to tell Jackman how touching it was to see him play her friend, say show sources. But she's not the only Jackman fan in the Big Apple.

After leading a standing ovation for her "X-Men" co-star, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and husband John Stamos went backstage this past weekend to commend the actor on his performance. Also spotted in the audience have been Burt Reynolds, Sting, Anna Wintour, Donna Karan, Susan Lucci, Jo Beth Williams, Deborah Gibson, Paul Shaffer, Joel Grey, Jennifer Grey, Josh Groban, David Copperfield, Diahann Carroll, Twiggy, Olympia Dukakis and Peter Allen collaborator Carole Bayer Sager.

The original Broadway cast recording of the musical will be available in stores next month, along with the DVDs of Jackman in "Oklahoma!" and "X-Men 2."