Moulin Rouge! @Piccadilly Theatre, London

 

It is over twenty years now since Baz Luhrmann’s fiesta of a film exploded into cinemas and he had a hand in this stage adaptation which first opened in 2018 and came to London in autumn 2021 and has been playing to packed houses ever since. A celebration of “truth, beauty, freedom and love”, it’s broad appeal has been widened by the addition of a number of songs written after the film so it has a more contemporary feel yet the lynchpin tunes are still in place. It’s a concept Luhrmann himself once described as a “preposterous conceit” but it works. This has been the first chance I’ve had to see it and as a fan of the movie I can only applaud what this production has done to make essentially the same story work in a different medium.

The first thing that strikes you, even before the show has started, is the visual transformation of the theatre with rich red lighting, lots of bulbs and looking out from the balconies on either side a windmill and a blue elephant. If you’re sitting in the second part of the stalls its worth getting there early and checking these out because you can’t see them from those seats. In front of a large bejewelled heart shaped set a glorious Moulin Rouge banner made of lights sits across the stage while the venue’s speakers play French late 1800s music (well at least that’s what it sounds like). To further get you in the mood a good fifteen minutes before showtime, assorted dancers start to slink around the stage and sometimes stop to stare at the audience. As a way of getting you in the mood for what is to follow it works very well.

Without the dazzling camera and editing tricks that made the film something of a kaleidoscope the focus is more acutely on the music and dance.  There are also some changes- Christian is American rather than English presumably to enable him to be even more overawed by French culture or maybe because this production originated in the States. Satine’s acting ambitions are lost as is Santiago’s narcolepsy. Zidler is a less prominent character which does mean we also lose the `Like A Virgin` sequence which was loved and loathed in equal measure when the film came out (I loved it actually). The climax has been streamlined which works well as the film version with the henchman and all that climbing in the rigging delays the emotional beats a bit too long.

The main story is roughly the same as the film with the story of aspiring songwriter Christian falling for the Moulin Rouge’s “sparkling diamond” ,Satine, a former courtesan who is being forced to marry a creepy Duke because the venue needs his money. It’s a traditional tale for all its decadent trappings which is why it works. Satine does not really understand love given her former profession whereas Christian is struck by it the moment he sees her but she has to choose between practicality and feelings. Woven into the storyline too, though a little less than the movie, are the Bohemian ideals emphasising the class differences between Christian and his friends compared to the very rich Duke. It struck me though that if Christian has come all the way from America he can’t really be that poor.

The night I was there Christian was played by first cover Robson Broad who really made the most of his time centre stage. Both his acting and especially his singing are excellent and when he belts out `Come What May` and a searing `Roxanne` it gets the best reactions of the night. He also brings a reserve to the character, which plays well against the extravagances of the older, wilder people  Christian finds himself surrounded by. It can’t be too long till he’s the main lead in a production. Melissa James’s Satine lives up to the duality of the character- one the one hand the untouchable star of the Moulin Rouge, on the other a girl with a difficult past and an uncertain future. She is someone who seemingly cannot win and the actor brings a dignity to her as well as some funny moments especially in the pitch scene.

Ian Carlyle brings the tragi-comic aspect of Toulouse Lautrec to his performance even though the production doesn’t linger on it as much as the film did. Also its played with less slapstick which also applies to Elia Lo Tauro as Santiago. Ben Richards also effectively underplays the villainy but not the intent as a contrast to the film version. The way this version is written though doesn’t quite give enough sense that the Duke covets Satine as intensely as Christian does. Of course we have Harold Zidler the larger than life host of the place brought to cheeky life by Matt Rixon. We’re also frequently reminded of the talents of the whole ensemble though who throw so much fire and energy into these performances.

The visuals are impeccable with the Piccadilly’s unusually large stage well utilised for  shifting sets and shapes and, yes, Satine still makes her first entrance from the ceiling in a diamond covered outfit! Flashing neon and glitter abound and while the place is not as racy as Zidler’s introduction suggests the whiff of bad behaviour is never too far away.

Some songs from the movie are gone replaced by more recent material from the last twenty years while others are swapped around so different characters sing them. I’m not quite sure all the new material fits especially as its difficult to get much from two or three lines of a song and some of them seem to have little relevance to the story. When they do land though they are amazing- `Single Ladies` is terrific and `Rolling In The Deep` powerful. In the end though it’s `Your Song`, `Lady Marmalade` and `Come What May` which resonate the most- each of them are brilliant at creating the appropriate emotions and delivered faultlessly by the cast. Plus the opening of the second act is essential!

If I had a criticism it would be that the ending seems a bit perfunctory compared to the melodrama of the film but then just to cheer us up the cast run through a medley of some of the songs again! So, you leave happy. All told this is a gorgeous production featuring great staging and choreography with a fantastic cast and very much worth seeing!

PS Apologies if any of the cast names are wrong, this seems to be one of those productions with routine changes. The night I saw it was 2 March.

PPS The show is booking till at least July and was sold out on the night I was there.