Moulin Rouge! The Musical is an ecstatic, glorious and rousing show, full of explosive energy, passion, and wonder. Perhaps like the infamous nightclub itself, the show is a true escape from the world with lots of extravagance, beauty, catchy songs, and corsets everywhere! Moulin Rouge! The Musical will move you, make you tap your feet, and exclaim with joy. And it will break your heart.
Based on the 2001 film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is very much its own show. The music montages and mashups are updated with more recent pop song hits. There are more dramatic moments. The result is a very unique and stirring experience. The show is a jukebox musical about staging a musical at the infamous dancehall Moulin Rouge, in the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris. The club’s owner and Master of Ceremonies, Harold Zidler, opens the festivities drawing the audience into the bacchanalian revelry. But the star of the club is Satine, a dancer / singer and the most beautiful courtesan in Paris. She is the object of desire and possession for The Duke of Monroth, a venal aristocrat. On the sidelines, are a trio of artists who want to impress Satine for their idea of a musical to be staged at Moulin Rouge. They are artist Toulouse-Lautrec, dancer Santiago, and Christian, a naive American songwriter who’s come to Paris to discover its wonders. In a hilarious case of mistaken identity, Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke. But she is charmed by Christian, who has fallen head over heels for her. An agreement with Zidler and The Duke is made and the proposed musical is prepared. In the meantime, Satine must comply with The Duke while carrying on a secret love affair with Christian. While all of this seems headed to a madcap denouement, Satine is keeping a heartbreaking and fateful secret.
The nightclub Moulin Rouge is a place for seduction, exploration, playing, and paying, for one’s desires. The lines between love and transactions are very blurred. Everyone is out for themselves out of need for power or just survival. Toulouse-Lautrec wants to show Paris its true face with the musical; to show the real world of the people of Montmartre. However, The Duke wants to see fantasy and fun. The distraction is more lucrative for him. Yet, real life cannot be held back forever.
The cast is sensational! Great singers, and amazing dance numbers with a Can-Can scene that takes you back to La Belle Époque. The dramatic performances are very touching. Christian and Satine make the audience feel that they are truly falling love. The kissing is HOT!
The sets are stunning, bright, and beautiful. There are bold and lurid colours for the club, tones of black and grey for Montmartre, pastels for the Champs-Élysées, the nighttime scenes are starry and magical like a fable. The costumes are gorgeous especially the Can-Can scenes!
The Moulin Rouge was a place for fun and exploitation, joy and misery. But love comes along, and the brave fell into its rapture. No matter how brief the experience, falling in love is the real victory.
Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Moulin Rouge! The Musical presented by evenko and Broadway Across Canada. Show runs until June 14, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, 175 Ste.-Catherine Street West, Montreal. For tickets call the box office at 514-842-2112 (or 1-866-842-2112) or go to www.placedesarts.com
