A tuner for Liberace?

Michael Riedel

BROADWAY MATINEE

Hbo scored one of its highest ratings ever with "Behind the Candelabra," the compelling — and creepy — movie about Liberace and his boy toy, Scott Thorson.

Now I'm hearing that the producer of the movie, Jerry Weintraub, wants to turn it into a Broadway musical.

There are a couple of other Liberace musicals brewing, as well. One has been authorized by the Liberace estate; the other is a campy, low-rent spin on the fruity piano player.

Neither, though, seems to be getting much traction.

But Weintraub, one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, certainly has the clout to get his show on the fast track.

©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection

Michael Douglas' Liberace made "Behind the Candelabra" a hit for HBO — and now it may be a musical.

He does not, however, know his way around Broadway — yet. He hasn't hired a director or a writer, though I hear he's been drawing up a list of possible leading men.

At the top is, of course, Hugh Jackman.

Jackman's name above the title of anything guarantees a multi-million dollar advance. And he was fabulous in "The Boy From Oz." What will they call the Liberace musical? "The Boy From West Allis, Wis."?

But I think Jackman's a bit young for the part (much of "Behind the Candelabra" takes place in the last 10 years of Liberace's life), and he's certainly far too good-looking.

In the movie, Michael Douglas captured brilliantly Liberace's obsession with youth and his fear of old age. Douglas, 68, also projected Liberace's haggard appearance beneath the toupee.

A musical-theater actor who could also do that — he's the right age — is Victor Garber, 64. Plus, he's played Liberace before, in a long-forgotten 1988 TV movie of the week, "Liberace: Behind the Music."

I just got it from Amazon, and it's pretty good. Maureen Stapleton plays Liberace's mother, and she's every bit as good as Debbie Reynolds in "Behind the Candelabra."

The old TV movie was based on the recollections of Liberace's business manager, Seymour Heller. It was somewhat controversial at the time because it wasn't authorized by the Liberace estate, and it dealt forthrightly with his homosexuality and death from AIDS — pretty daring for a TV movie in 1988.

Garber is excellent.

I hear Weintraub is also thinking about Nathan Lane, who, as you can see right now in "The Nance" at the Lyceum Theatre, has no trouble playing a troubled queen.

To play Scott Thorson, I'd nominate Sebastian Stan, whose well-toned torso should have received a Tony nomination for its scene-stealing turn in "Picnic" last season.

As for directors, Weintraub might consider Jerry Mitchell, who just staged "Kinky Boots" to a Tony Award. Mitchell would certainly be good on all the Liberace fluff — chorus kids, dancing water fountains, fur capes and flying by Foy.

Another interesting choice might be Susan Stroman. She, too, has fun with fluff ("Crazy for You," "The Producers"). But as she demonstrated with the excellent "The Scottsboro Boys," she can handle a musical with serious, even harrowing, themes.

I'd also consider George C. Wolfe.

He hasn't done a musical in a long time, and I bet his take on sexuality and showbiz would be dynamic.

The go-to writer of the moment is John Logan, who could probably cobble together a script that doesn't depart too far from the HBO movie.

A more inspired choice would be Paul Rudnick. He'd nail Liberace's bitchy humor as well as his preening vanity.