Moulin Rouge!: It’s a State of Mind

It’s no secret that Moulin Rouge! The Musical (and yes, the exclamation point is important) is already one of the biggest hits of the 2019-2020 Broadway season. It premiered very early in the season - with previews starting just 19 days after this year’s Tony Awards. However, I don’t think its diamond is going to shine any less brightly even as other shows raise their curtains.

The show starts the minute you enter the theater. Now this part really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me - I had seen multiple pictures before. I continued to tell myself, though, that it couldn’t possibly look that amazing. You can’t possibly do that in a Broadway theater. Guess what - you can. Add in dancers that sneak out and begin climbing on cages before the show even officially begins and you already have one of the most unique theater experiences I have been a part of.

Thankfully, the ushers do not discourage photos of the theater and stage. The one snag comes when the dancers emerge. As is the case with every Broadway show, pictures and videos of the actors are not allowed - and this apparently extends to the dancers who begin performing as people are still finding their seats. This makes sense, except Moulin Rouge has already blurred the line of when the show begins, and so you can’t blame audience members for not knowing when they’ve crossed it.

At the same time, the show somehow has one of the most abrupt starts I have seen. Main character Christian (Aaron Tveit) walks out almost unnoticed among the dancers who are already on stage. He then raises both his hands and drops them down - and the theater goes dark. I’ve never heard that many people go silent so quickly.

When it comes to the show itself, I came a little more blind than some attendees, never having seen the movie. I didn’t even have a firm grasp of the story’s plot. I did know that the musical contained many current hits, but I couldn’t have imagined how many pop songs it crammed in. I admit, it took me aback slightly when the characters started singing Lorde’s “Royals” and Katy Perry’s “Firework”. I worried for a minute that it was going to be too weird, and I wouldn’t be able to truly immerse myself in the show.

The tunes are performed so well, though, that you can’t help but be won over. They fit the scenes perfectly and are performed by some of the best voices in the world. The songs are also manipulated and mashed together to bring out nuances you didn’t know were there. I never would have imagined Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In The World)” could be a perfect villain song but it is. The rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier” brings out the true darkness at the root of the song.

I will say, the audience’s surprise at hearing many pop songs lead to laughter during what weren’t comedic moments - especially in the first act before people got used to it. Sometimes though, the music changes are so quick there isn’t any time to react - take the 22 songs breathlessly stuffed into the intermission number, “Elephant Love Medley.”

Of course the Moulin Rouge classics are also featured prominently - Lady Marmalade, Come What May, el Tango de Roxanne - and performed in spectacular fashion. Karen Olivo (In The Heights) is a dazzling and devastating Satine, and Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal) embodies a dreamy Christian you can’t help but root for. They both return to Broadway after years away, and were clearly born for the stage.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the spectacular ensemble - the dancing in this show is incredible, and will surely garner awards. “Backstage Romance” - which primarily combines Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” Britany Spears’ “Toxic” and Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - is my personal favorite dance number, but their skills are on view throughout the show.

Moulin Rouge is a story of love, class and money. I realize I have not gone into detail about the show’s plot, and I actually encourage anyone planning on seeing it to do so without much knowledge of the specifics. It makes it all the more fresh and impactful. I will simply repeat one of the show’s most iconic quotes: “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. Ticket and lottery information can be found on its website.