Writer: John Logan
Director: Alex Timbers
Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! Home of truth, beauty, freedom and love. The year is 1899 and the stage of Europe’s most famous cabaret is a heart-shaped swathe of sumptuous red velvet, satin and lace. Gloriously costumed dancers are warming up and stretching while the wealthy socialites and bohemian artists of Paris take their seats.
To a vigorous mash-up of 14 different songs, impresario Harold Zidler and his fabulous ensemble of performers welcome us to their revue. Lead actress Satine, the sparkling jewel in their crown, is lowered slowly on a swing. When Verity Thompson, as the courtesan, sings her opening medley of songs including Diamonds Are Forever and Material Girl, her voice is so perfect in tone, rhythm and pitch, it is euphonious to the ear.
Christian, played by Nate Landskroner is introduced alongside Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago on the dreary streets of Montmartre as a passionate, young American composer. He is immediately captivated when he meets Satine at The Moulin Rouge and proposes writing a play for her. But the star has mistaken the penniless scribe for Lord Monmouth who is also interested in courting the beauty. Too late, Satine realises her error. She has fallen in love with Christian but, suffering from consumption, must plump for the villainous aristocrat whose money can support her in her illness and also prop up the struggling club. Christian’s play echoes the real-life tragedy of their forbidden love.
Cameron Blakely is superb as Zidler. Along with a first rate singing voice, he is thoroughly convincing as the flamboyant owner and entertainer of The Moulin Rouge doing his best to keep the business afloat. Landskroner is a most endearing, lovelorn Christian. The Elephant Love Medley wherein he woos Satine is a highpoint. Kurt Kansley’s Toulouse-Lautrec and James Bryers Duke are similarly solid and convincing. A surprise standout is Rodrigo Negrini as Santiago and Kahlia Davis as Nini. Santiago is unashamedly Latin in his languid connection to the music and hilariously expressive when in the limelight. Davis is equally comedic. There is synchronicity to their movements and chemistry in their interactions. Thompson as Satine is simply flawless in every respect.
Further to the street scenes, action moves between the resplendent Moulin Rouge, Satine’s glamorous apartment with windows looking out over the city, the Duke’s grand abode and the barren digs of poverty-stricken Lautrec. Scenic designer Derek McClane has been masterful in his imagining of the show’s landscapes, expertly showcased by lighting from Justin Townsend.
If the sets are a tour-de-force, Catherine Zuber’s stunning costumes of corsetry and petticoats and Sonya Tayeh’s high-octane, raucous choreography are just as accomplished. The dancers, ensemble and swings, are dazzling in both attire and performance. The visual feast of the iconic can-can scene and El Tango de Roxanne will live long in my memory. Musical supervisor, Justin Levine and sound designer, Peter Hylenski have blown it out of the park. The show’s score draws on 70 songs by 161 different songwriters. As the entire cast and production team are too many to mention, suffice it to say that their creative collaboration across the board has served Moulin Rouge! The Musical exquisitely.
While it is inconceivable that the 2001 Moulin Rouge movie written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce could be improved upon, Alex Timbers and John Logan have taken its core plot, characters and soundtrack and tweaked or expanded upon them to better suit the medium of theatre with huge success.
Come what may, this multi-award winning production is going to run and run.
Runs Until 11 Jan 2026.
