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2019 “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” Makes A

4th, Live Spectacle On Broadway Safely
December

| Sexy And Joyful
EXAMINER By Brad Balfour

retty much based on
a mundane cliche,

IRISH Pthe cinematic Moulin
Rouge tells of a young
naive artistic type moves
to the big city to fall in
love with the hooker with
a heart of gold, then both
deal with triumphs and
tragedies. Director Baz
Luhrmann’s revolution-
ary 2001 film transformed
this storyline through a
fictionalized ideation of
legendary French boho
artist Toulouse Lautrec as
the master boho who ini-
tiates the production at
the core of this weird
jukebox musical. where bohos and aristocrats liers, not to mention a garish cat costumery. duets with Christian convinc-
Long planned as a live rub elbows while they revel mockup of the famous Eager to descend into this ingly — built out of the best
show, it has finally ended up in electrifying song-and- Parisian nightclub’s iconic exotic world, Christian — contemporary songbooks —
on Broadway as “Moulin dance. Director Alex windmill, flashing in lights Aaron Tveit plays him with even as she pivots between
Rouge! The Musical!” Timbers and writer John from a balcony box. Whereas an innocent appeal — finds her real love and the Duke
remixed into a fresh musical Logan were savvy enough to the real grit is replaced by a the Four Bad Ass Chicks who she has to keep at bay in
extravaganza promoting, as open their Broadway adapta- faux squalor and idealized played with zaftig glory by ever ridiculous ways while he
the poster noted, “Splendor, tion of “Moulin Rouge!” by roughhewn hipsterdom, the Robyn Hurder, Holly James, finances her show.
romance, excess, glitz, using 73 songs cut up in a fas- theatrical characters are quite Reed Luplau and Jeigh That means making a
grandeur and glory.” It’s all cinating rethink in lieu of the as alluring as the cinematic Madjus who invite all to get seamless shift between songs
there as it was in the original original film’s uniquely re- ones, but this cast has to their “Gitchie gitchie ya-ya of such a wide range as
but somehow even more so. conceived full length covers. work really really. da-da.” Drawn in by shame- “Diamonds,” a tricky mashup
On stage, it’s much more in- But this stunning live show In this turn-of-the-last-cen- less huckster and famed of Jule Styne and Leo Robin’s
your-face action with cast doesn’t blots out the fond tury Paris, everyone is Moulin Rouge nightclub “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best
members striding down the memories of Luhrmann’s resplendent in Catherine impresario Harold Zidler Friend;” “Material Girl,” by
aisles; silver/red confetti 2001 movie which starred the Zuber’s divinely decadent (Burstein), Christian enters Peter Brown and Robert
showers down on the audi- sexy, seductive Nicole costumes as they whirl the club where he connects Rans; and Beyoncé’s mega
ences from time to time. Kidman and Ewan through Sonya Tayeh’s fren- with painter Toulouse- hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring
In its 2 hours and 35 min- McGregor. zied dances, frantically trying Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah) and on It).” It also turns a huge
utes, the staged “Moulin In the gaudily adorned to get themselves through the structural tango dancer production number built
Rouge!” may not outdo the Hirschfeld Theatre, audi- the night. In this boho Santiago (Ricky Rojas). around a single song like
movie version for its outra- ences are treated to fast- Montmartre quarter, “tout le Declaring himself a song- “Shut Up and Dance” into
geous appropriation of 19th action interplay embraced by monde” rumbles through, writer, Christian tries to more of a straightforward
century bohemian life, but it the movie’s signature ele- with every manner of charac- impress these sophisticates performance. But thanks to
makes up for it in live-action phant looming over the audi- ter represented here — ideal- by speaking/singing in song inventive choreography, this
razzmatazz. In this gloriously ence. There’s red-on-red ized though they maybe — lyrics from “I Don’t Want to dance corps carries off the
flashy version, here’s a world decor and multiple chande- draped in every kind of cool- Wait,” “Every Breath You elaborate maneuvers married
Take,” and “Never Gonna with complex song re-inven-
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” Give You Up.” Once inside, tions provides the best-of-
this clean-cut kid gets mistak- Broadway muscularity.
Al Hirschfield Theatre en for the worldly decadent If any Broadway produc-
302 West 45th St. (btwn 8th & 9th Ave.) Duke of Monroth (Tam tion today demonstrates the
Mutu in poured on black possibilities to be found in a
Director: Alex Timbers leather), a wealthy patron jukebox musical, this one
Writer: John Logan who desires the smoothly does the trick. Thanks to the
Cast: Karen Olivo, Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Sahr Ngaujah, Tam Mutu, leonine Satine, the night- seamlessly interwoven num-
Ricky Rojas, Robyn Hurder, Amber Ardolino, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Olutayo club’s star. Played by Tony bers, the over-the-top machi-
Award winner Karen Olivio
nations and sometimes silly
Bosede, Kyle Brown, Sam J. Cahn, Max Clayton, Karli Dinardo, Aaron C. (“West Side Story”), her but boho-ish story line, this
Finley, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Bahiyah Hibah, Ericka Hunter, Holly James, Evan sweet yet savvy seductress is show provides an illustration
Kinnane, Reed Luplau, Jeigh Madjus, Morgan Marcell, Caleb Marshall, Brandt both a sincere artist and of how the live stage can be
Martinez, Jodi McFadden, Kaitlin Mesh, Kevyn Morrow, Fred Odgaard, Dylan crafty courtesan. Despite full of possibilities despite the
Paul, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Benjamin Rivera Satine’s cliched characteriza- limits of its physical dimen-
tion, Olivo renders her lover sions. C