MNN - Mother Nature Network

It's good to be the king. 

 

Broadway's top-grossing performer, actor Hugh Jackman, is set to receive a special Tony Award for his contributions to the stage and humanitarian causes. The 43-year-old earlier this year broke box office records with his one-man show, "Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway," while also single-handedly raising $1.8 million for the charity Broadway Cares.

 

According to the AP, Jackman's show averaged $1.5 million weekly, besting totals posted by much larger Broadway shows like “Jersey Boys,” “Mama Mia!,” “How to Succeed in Business,” “Anything Goes” and “Follies.” He now owns 10 of the 11 top-grossing weeks at the Broadhurst Theater in New York City. 

 

Producer Robert Fox told the AP that Jackman's numbers “not only confirm him as one of the most bankable stars in Broadway’s history but also as a fund-raiser.”

 

This will be Jackman's second Tony after he won the Best Actor award in 2004 for the musical "The Boy from Oz." 

 

Also receiving a special Tony is Bernadette Peters, who will be honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award for her work with animals. In 1999, along with actress Mary Tyler Moore, Peters founded the Broadway Barks! charity, which raises awareness for shelter animals in need of homes. 

 

The Tony Awards kick off on June 10. 

 

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