Performances of Hugh Jackman’s The Music Man on Broadway have been cancelled until the new year as the actor has tested positive for Covid-19.

The Greatest Showman star, 53, confirmed his diagnosis in a video posted to social media.

In the clip, Jackman says that his symptoms are mild, including “a cold, a scratchy throat, and a bit of a runny nose,” and comments that he is feeling “fine”.

Adding: “I’m just going to do everything I can to get better ASAP and, as soon as I’m cleared, I’ll be back on stage.”

The musical is scheduled to return to the Winter Garden Theatre in New York on January 2, however, headliner Jackman, who plays Professor Harold Hill, will not perform on-stage until January 6.

The news comes days after leading lady Sutton Foster also tested positive for the virus, ahead of the show’s fourth preview performance on December 24.

In a video which has since gone viral, Jackman praised understudy Kathy Voytko during the curtain call for stepping into Foster’s role as Marian Paroo with less than eight hours notice on Christmas Eve.

He hailed swings and understudies as the “bedrock of Broadway”.