Selfish Mom

The shirt off of Hugh Jackman’s back

Nov 14, 2009 Around NYC

I just got back from a night out with The Ass, seeing Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in “A Steady Rain” and then dinner.  The play was great, just the two of them on stage for 90 minutes, two chairs, Chicago accents, and an intense story.  Honestly, without his usual Australian accent and not seeing him up close, the guy with the brown hair could have been the understudy.  But as soon as the show was over, they broke character and asked us to sit down, and there Hugh Jackman was with his normal accent and humor, announcing that it was a very special night because they got through the entire show without a single cell phone ringing.  We got to watch as they auctioned off the two shirts they had worn during the show – they were going to sign them and then take pictures backstage with the winner.  I say we got to watch because of course I couldn’t bid.  It started at $1,000 and finally ended at $4,000.  I had to sit on my hands to keep from getting in on it.  Signatures I don’t usually care about.  Getting my picture taken with famous people really isn’t my thing.  But for Hugh Jackman I’ll make an exception.  Anyone else with $1,500 to spare could go backstage and get a program signed.

After that, they announced that they’d be selling signed posters for $300 and signed programs for $100, all of it tax deductible and all of it going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  I at least wanted a signed program.  It was for charity!  But after begging all the way out of the theater, The Ass still said no and we got into one of our very typical “discussions” about why he gets to veto what I want, that if we really are equal partners as he claims then he shouldn’t be able to do that, that this is EXACTLY what drove me to stop being a stay-at-home mom so that I could make some money and have some control, yada yada yada.  It’s not about the program.  I mean, frankly, if he hadn’t been there I would have blown the $1,500 to go backstage, and that would have been very irresponsible.  But we give to charity, and we don’t get anything out of it except feeling good (which for the purposes of this discussion means nothing to me).  This time we could have given to charity and gotten a little memento of the evening to frame and hang on our wall.  Instead, I got a reminder of how much it sucks sometimes not to be the breadwinner.  He spent a ridiculous amount on the tickets.  We paid a sitter and paid for dinner.  It wasn’t about the money.

But at least I got to see some really good theater.  I told him that if Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz ever do a Broadway show together, the tickets are on me.  But I won’t let him go backstage.

Originally posted on Selfish Mom.  All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted.  Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: A Steady Rain, Broadway, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman, Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek