Moulin Rouge! (musical)
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a jukebox musical with a book by John Logan. The musical is based on the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.[1]
Moulin Rouge!
The musical premiered on July 10, 2018, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. Moulin Rouge! opened on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with previews starting on June 28, 2019, and officially opening on July 25.[2]
At the 74th Tony Awards, Moulin Rouge! received a total of 14 nominations and won 10 awards (the most for the evening), including Best Musical.
Background[edit]
In 2002–2003, there was speculation about the possibility of a stage musical based on Moulin Rouge!, possibly in Las Vegas, but there had been no public discussion in the years since.[3] Some sources claimed in 2006 that director Baz Luhrmann had approached the leads of the film, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, to star in the potential stage version.[4]
In 2016, it was announced that a stage musical was being developed by Global Creatures with direction by Alex Timbers.[5]
A workshop took place in 2017,[6] starring Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo. The lab ran from October 30 until December 15.[7]
Productions[edit]
Boston (2018)[edit]
Moulin Rouge! was scheduled to begin preview performances on June 27, 2018, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. The production was scheduled to officially open on July 22, 2018, and would complete its limited run on August 5, 2018.[9] On June 6, it was announced that the Boston production would be extended by 16 additional performances, running through August 19.[11] Construction delays in renovating the Emerson Colonial Theatre resulted in the premiere date being pushed back to July 10.[12] The production featured choreography by Sonya Tayeh, sets by Derek McLane, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Justin Townsend, and sound design by Peter Hylenski.[10]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The Broadway production received mixed to positive reviews.
In a rave review, theater critic John Simon wrote, "If you like splash, Moulin Rouge! is the show for you. Even more than the Baz Luhrmann movie, on which the musical is loosely based, it can hold your wonderment without abate from start to finish. ... This is a show to make the young feel mature, and the old blissfully young again."[53] It was named a Critic's Pick by The New York Times with Ben Brantley calling it "a cloud-surfing, natural high of a production."[54]
Diane Snyder of The Telegraph praised the scenic design, choreography, and costume and wrote that "Moulin Rouge! may not have the depth of some of Broadway's great musicals... [but] it's fun, tuneful and entertaining, and that's exactly what we need right now."[55] Mashable's Erin Strecker said that "This is the best of what a jukebox musical can be; a thrilling burst of color and chorus and nostalgia and bold reimagining."[56] Adam Feldman leaned positive as he called the show "an extravagant Broadway megamix," commenting that it "looks and feels expensive."[57] Some critics praised the changes made from the film. Patrick Ryan of USA Today commented that "the use of recent pop songs actually improves upon the source material, helping flesh out characters' motivations and deepen the central romance."[58] David Cote of The New York Observer wrote, "Logan's tweaks to the original screenplay are neat and necessary."[59]
In a mixed review, Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos criticized the musical's disjointedness but praised the high-energy parts of the show.[60] In another mixed review, Charles Isherwood of Broadway News summed up that "The resulting show is all flash, splash and megawatt musical numbers, nimbly if not entirely masking a fairly hollow and certainly hoary emotional core."[61] Alexis Soloski of The Guardian also commented on the leads' lack of chemistry, but mentioned that the show delivers when it comes to "dazzle and excitement," praising its choreography, set, energy, and costume.[62]
Box office[edit]
According to Playbill, Moulin Rouge! grossed around $2.2 million for the week ending of October 13, 2019.[63] On May 3, 2022, it was reported that Moulin Rouge! The Musical became the fifth highest grossing Broadway shows with $1.4 million box office in the week.[64] As of September 11, 2022, the musical grossed around $135.5 million with 371,285 attendance and 260 performances.[65][66]