James Bond star Daniel Craig and Wolverine's Hugh Jackman are appearing in a play entitled A Steady Rain.

James Bond and Wolverine have hit Broadway.
Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are appearing in a play entitled A Steady Rain which tells the story of Chicago police officers confronting professional and personal difficulties.

The 90-minute play, which has just two characters, arrives in New York after a well-reviewed run in Chicago with a different cast in 2007.
Craig and Jackman have significantly increased the star wattage of the production.

Craig skyrocketed to film stardom as the latest cinematic James Bond, and Jackman plays Wolverine in the X-Men movies.
They drew a standing ovation from the sold-out Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre audience on Thursday. It was Craig's Broadway debut.

Star-driven productions have become commonplace on Broadway in recent years, with notable visits from Katie Holmes and Julia Roberts.
Jackman and Craig bring a Hollywood masculinity to the stage. (But they aren't alone this season; Jude Law is performing in Hamlet)
Both have theatre experience, too.

Jackman is a Tony winner for his performance in The Boy From Oz. He also starred in Carousel at Carnegie Hall and Oklahoma! at the National Theatre in London, among others.

Craig is less seasoned on the stage but has starred in Hurlyburly at the Old Vic, Angels in America at the National Theatre and A Number at the Royal Court Theatre.

A Steady Rain is remarkable for its staging - through storytelling and monologues - of material traditionally the domain of the movies.
Both actors sit in and roam around chairs facing the audience to directly tell a tale that would normally befit the big screen, complete with car cashes and gun fights.

Jackman performs with an Italian-American accent; Craig's character has an Irish-American accent.

From interviews with audience members after the show, the crowd was impressed.
'They were probably better than I expected,' said Matt Serota, a young theatregoer from Long Island.
'It was amazing how they were able to go from very docile to grab-your-throat (intensity) against each other, against the audience.'
Christine Martino and Caye Hursey, friends visiting New York from California, spilled out of the theatre eagerly discussing the play.

'The complexity of the story and their acting was amazing,' said Martino.
'I think that's why they did it - actors do this for themselves and to show other people what they can really do besides just the big-ticket stuff.'
After the play, throngs assembled around the stage doors.
More than 100 people waited for glimpses of the two stars, including Jillian Smith, an Australian who was glad for the chance to see her countryman Jackman on Broadway.

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