Theater News

Nicole Kidman Buys Hugh Jackman's Hat From The Music Man for $100,000

Kidman made the winning bid in a charity auction for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Nicole Kidman astonished the audience at the Winter Garden Theatre on Saturday when she cast the winning bid in a post-show charity auction to benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. The cast of the Broadway revival of The Music Man was auctioning off the straw hat Hugh Jackman wears as Harold Hill. Nicholas Ward (who plays Oliver Hix) asked if anyone in the theater would beat the top bid of $19,000, to which Kidman replied, "A hundred…thousand."

Kidman and Jackman co-starred in the 2008 Baz Luhrmann film Australia. After the excitement in the audience died down a bit, a gleeful Jackman remarked, "Nic: I just want to be clear, this is not Australian dollars."

BC/EFA welcomed the generous donation, noting, "That's 20,000 meals and 2,000 doctor visits this holiday season for those living with HIV/AIDS, struggling with COVID-19 or facing other life-threatening challenges."

You can watch the whole moment here:

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The Music Man

Closed: January 15, 2023