Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre

Moulin Rouge!, the bedazzled, raunchy, and wildly sexy jukebox musical film written and directed by Baz Luhrmann high kicked its way into people's hearts in 2001. Named after the world famous Parisian night club in 1890 where the poor and the elite gathered to delight in sensual new fashion and stage spectacles featuring the latest craze, the French cancan.

For many, this was the first time they had witnessed a jukebox musical of this calibre - utilizing countless radio hit songs to capture the audience and tell a beautiful yet tragic story of forbidden love. Now, on the heels of the original Moulin Rouge's 135th anniversary, the revamped stage production directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh is prepared, yet again, to take the world by storm.

In Moulin Rouge!, the lifelong pursuit of the bohemian ideal - truth, beauty, freedom, and love - brings Christian (Christian Douglas), a poor young poet with a song in his heart to the slums of Paris. There, his talent for songwriting captures the attention of Santiago (Danny Burgos) and Toulouse-Lautrec (Nick Rashad Burroughs), two eccentric artists who have been working on a new show with hopes to present it to the Moulin Rouge and to their resident star, the Sparkling Diamond, Satine (Arianna Rosario). All seems to be running smoothly until a silly little thing called love gets in the way when Christian falls for Satine who is also being fervently pursued by the Duke of Monroth (Andrew Brewer).

The beauty of Moulin Rouge! is fueled by an intoxicating heady lust and the audience is struck by that the moment they enter the theatre to take their seats. The stage is jaw-dropping beautiful - red roses, concentric hearts, bright lights - everything that reminded me dearly of the movie. Scenic designer Derek McLane has truly outdone himself with the sets and while the set for the Moulin Rouge set is magnificent, the set for Satine's elephant dressing room is unforgettable. Truly, some of the best stage sets I've ever seen. 

Likewise are the gorgeous costumes by Catherine Zuber that are the embodiment of sensuality. Satin and lace, lingerie, corsetry, diamond encrusted gowns, bold feather plumage, all the elements that had people around the world falling in love with the art of burlesque. Witht the stage and the equally entrancing performances, the costumes draw you in and hold you in place.

Of course the performances stand out. Harold Zidler (Robert Petkoff), the MC of the Moulin Rouge is a delight to watch. Sassy, queer, and the epitome of camp, Petkoff pulls off this performance with aplomb. Burroughs, too, does a wonderful job with this portrayal of Toulouse, the writer. Watching him perfectly mimic the actors during rehearsal and then go head to head with the Duke is a true underrated highlight. 

As for the stars, Douglas and Rosario have enviable stage chemistry as Christian and Satine. Their performances ring true to their characters, their powerful voices carry both the songs and emotion with a force to be reckoned with. You feel the draw of their secretive love affair and you dread their inevitable fate.

As the original Moulin Rouge! movie came out in 2001 and featured numerous top radio hits of the time, over 20 years have passed since that release and with that plenty of new music to further Christian and Satine's story. A great draw of the stage musical is hearing what new songs they have included. Music supervisor Justin Levine has done an exceptional job in selecting new music while staying true to the original soundtrack in a way that brilliantly encapsulates the emotional pulse of each cinematic moment.

Moulin Rouge! takes the stage at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre into the new year. This production is the quintessential date night for the holidays; a show for the ages that should not be missed.       

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for Murphymade

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