Review: MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL Makes Audiences Roar with Delight Night After Night at The Hobby Center

The 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! is near and dear to my heart. My father was always a lover of the film; I can still remember when he first showed me the masterpiece. I believe that I was only around 12 years old when I first watched it, and I know that a lot of it flew over my head at that time, but I have watched it numerous times and listened to the soundtrack countless times since. When a stage production of the musical movie came out in 2018 (which starred Aaron Tveit, my father's favorite Broadway performer of all time ever since he watched Tveit star in NEXT TO NORMAL), I thought, about time! As soon as I heard the news, seeing the show was added to my bucket list. My dad quickly saw it on Broadway once it opened and shared with me that it was nothing short of marvelous. Boy, was I jealous of him! When a tour of the show was announced, I knew that I had to go.

I tried to make sure that I managed my expectations when attending the show. The original jukebox romantic drama film was nothing short of visually stunning and emotionally compelling, as can be expected from a film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. I know every word to the original "Elephant Love Medley", and I could listen to the film's "Come What May" and "My Song" day and night. I made sure to keep in mind that a stage show will be different than any movie production because a stage production cannot be as intimate and visually exciting as a film, right? Actually...wrong.

MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL proved me wrong. Honestly, as soon as the show began, I was instantly transported into the magical, beautiful world of the Moulin Rouge. When the production ended, I initially had no words. I was left speechless by the spectacle, and I suppose that could be expected from a show that is supported by 4 producers and 38 co-producers. Trust me: no one should miss this show while it is in town for these next two weeks.

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For those who do not know the story of Moulin Rouge!, let me set the stage for you. The story follows the young writer Christian, who comes to Paris in 1900 to follow his dreams of being a professional songwriter and joining the Bohemian movement. He quickly meets Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his troupe of performers who are writing a play called Spectacular Spectacular. After Christian helps them complete the play, they go to the Moulin Rouge where they hope Christian's talents will impress Satine, the star performer and courtesan, who will in turn convince Harold Zidler, the proprietor of the Moulin Rouge, to let Christian write and produce the show at the Moulin Rouge. However, Zidler plans to have the wealthy, powerful, and unscrupulous Duke of Monroth sleep with Satine in exchange for the potential financing to keep the Moulin Rouge alive.

The night that Christian tries to convince Satine to support his show, Zidler tells Satine to seduce the visiting Duke for patronage. So, Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke and attempts to seduce him by dancing with him and then retiring with him to her private chamber. Christian's true identity is soon found out by Satine, but not before the pair find that they have a real connection. Then, the Duke barges into the private suite and interrupts the pair, which makes Satine claim that the two of them and the Bohemians were rehearsing Spectacular Spectacular. Aided by Zidler, Christian, and the Bohemians, she improvises a story for the Duke about a beautiful courtesan who falls in love with a poor artist. Approving the story, the Duke agrees to invest, but only if Satine and the Moulin Rouge are turned over to him. The terms are agreed to, but later that night- even though Satine claims to not be in love with Christian- she eventually wears down her resolve and they kiss. From then on, the two try to continue their romance while they still appease the duke, which leads to a lot comedy as well as many emotional ups and downs while we watch Christian and Satine's love story.

What were my favorite parts of the musical production, you may ask? Gosh, it is hard to choose one! I really appreciated its strong, huge, dazzling opening that included everyone in the cast dancing it out on stage while the lights were going crazy and the medley of music was blaring! The opening of the second act was just as fabulous and sexy as the first one, and it included a montage of songs that started with "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. As a 90s kid, this specific medley brought a ton of joy to me! I was heavily looking forward to "El Tango De Roxanne" as well as "Lady Marmalade" (which are both from the original film), and both performances of these iconic numbers were as moving as always. Courtney Reed, who played Satine, sang a beautiful, heart-ripping rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework", which may now be my favorite performance of the song. When Duke of Monroth introduced Satine to his high society, the grand costumes and a hoity-toity version of OutKast's "So Fresh, So Clean" was a hoot.

Although I missed such songs as "One Day I'll Fly Away" and "The Show Must Go On" that were in the original source material, I appreciated all of the covers that were added to the musical, such as the number of songs added to the "Elephant Love Medley". Fun fact: the show has 54 songs in total parodied in the show. I would say that my favorite new covers added to the musical was "Chandelier" (which introduced the movie's iconic "green fairy" and absinthe) and the duet of "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley and "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele (the medley was named "Crazy Rolling" in the show's program). I also enjoyed that the show mostly stayed true to the movie, even recreating the dance in the stars at the end of the movie's "Come What May". That specific scene in the production was truly dazzling.

Many of the performers were simply astonishing. Courtney Reed as Satine and Conor Ryan as Christian were nothing short of wonderful. I thought it would be hard for them to be as phenomenal as Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor were in their respective roles within the movie, but they kept the original energy of the characters and added even more. Plus, their voices and sweltering chemistry were so beautiful; the two of them absolutely filled the stage with warmth. Andrew Brewer additionally had a very smooth voice and a great bravado, which fit incredibly well with the Duke of Monroth character he played. Austin Durant as Harold Zidler was also perfectly casted, especially with his bigger-than-life voice and energy.

Nick Rashad Burroughs as Toulouse-Lautrec and Gabe Martínez as Santiago (Toulouse's right-hand man) both had voices that soared, and I enjoyed how their characters got more stage time than they did in the movie. They added such energy to the production, and they bantered very well with each other and the rest of the cast. Libby Lloyd as Nini, a showgirl with Satine and the love interest for Santiago, had dance moves that enthralled me every time she was onstage. I also have to give a shout-out to every person in the ensemble of the piece. This production would not be as spectacular (yes, pun intended!) if it were not for every person in the cast giving it their all night after night! Their energy seemed endless, and it was infectious.

Of course, I have to tip my hat to all of the designers involved with the show, who did such incredible work: scene designer Derek McLane (who transported us to various locales in Paris with such (seemingly impossible) smoothness and pizazz); lighting designer Justin Townsend (who stunned the audience members with astounding lights at every turn); and costume designer Catherine Zuber, hair designer David Brian Brown, and make-up designer Sarah Cimino (who made the performers look amazing in their myriad multi-colored outfits that made the stage sparkle).

Additionally, sound designer Peter Hylenski, music supervisor Justin Levine (who also co-orchestrated, arranged, and created additional lyrics for the show), and book writer John Logan did an amazing job making this show possible. Lastly, I would love to be in the same room as choreographer Sonya Tayeh and director Alex Timbers in order to just talk to them about how they came up with all of the stunning stage images that they devised for this musical. I am sure that it took a lot of time, effort, and energy to orchestrate all that is this incredible show. No wonder this show won 10 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical!

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Be sure to see MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL while it is in Houston until March 12th! The shows are occurring at the Hobby Center (800 Bagby St, Houston) and you can buy tickets here. Buy your tickets now before they are sold out!

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