Applause began for “Moulin Rouge!” at the Overture Center before the show started when two sword swallowers came on stage to kick things off.
Inspired by the 2001 Baz Luhrman film, “Moulin Rouge” tells the story of Christian (Christian Douglas), a romantic songwriter, and Satine (Gabrielle McClinton), the “sparkling diamond” performer amid the backdrop of a 1890s Parisian cabaret. It's flashy and campy, and the stage adaptation didn’t shy away from the grandeur of the film.
No less than three confetti cannons were launched into the audience. Each set was blinding in the best way, the orchestra music bounced through the Overture Center and the dancers gave 120% energy the whole show.
“Moulin Rouge!” embraced the stage, making subtle changes from the movie. Some worked better than others, but all made an entertaining show.
No one comes to the Moulin Rouge for its plot, but here’s a quick rundown. Christian comes to Paris to become a Bohemian writer, teaming up with Toulouse (Nick Rashad Burroughs) and Santiago (Danny Burgos). They trick Satine into meeting by making her believe Christian is a rich Duke she must seduce to secure funding for the cabaret. Instead, the two begin a secret romance as the Duke purchases the rights to the Moulin Rouge and in turn Satine, all while their fake play mirrors this story.
At the core of the show is love. An iconic line is “the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.” And boy, did the show love its spectacle.
The opening of the musical was stronger than the movie, launching directly into the action and excitement of the Moulin Rouge. Plot points and characters were combined or left behind, almost all of the Bohemian artists were fused into Toulouse-Lautrec.
The musical changed much of the original soundtrack, opting for more modern songs like “Royals,” “We Are Young” and “Firework.” At a whooping 70 songs, the music credits spanned three pages of the playbill.
But don’t worry, movie classics like “Lady Marmalade,” “El Tango De Roxanne” and “Come What May” stuck around.
Provided with a full orchestra, professional harmonies and choreography, some songs shined in this setting, while some struggled to find their footing. The beginning of each song was followed by quiet laughter from the audience, taken aback by the choice of song every time.
The staging and lighting of the show was constantly entertaining, and each set was just different enough to remain fresh. They’re the type of scenes to stay in your head for days after the show.
And it’s okay if you don’t like the song they’re singing, because the actors will likely switch into another song mashup within ten seconds.
One pitfall of jukebox musicals is the songs might not resonate as strongly with the characters and plot as original songs written for the show, and this was true for “Moulin Rouge.” But the show embraced the campiness of its strange songs. If you see this show, you’ll understand the plot itself isn’t all too important outside of the central love triangle.
Because of this, the show struggled to hit the emotional beats as well as the movie. Maybe it was just because the highs were so high, but each serious, low moment in the show felt underwhelming.
Take for example Satine’s death. The audience has a mere 30 seconds to recover from her passing because the company soon explodes into a five-minute encore. The encore was amazing, but it almost felt as if the show forgot Satine would die until the scene before her death.
Santiago, an Argentinian Bohemian, and Nini (AK Naderer), a dancer at the Moulin Rouge, are much more fleshed out than their movie counterparts. Their “Bad Romance” was the perfect entrance to Act II and a highlight in the story. When Naderer was onstage, it was hard to take your eyes off her lifts and dips.
As Christian, Douglas had big shoes to fill, as Aaron Tveit won a Tony for his origination of the role. But Douglas delivered and then some, hitting high and low notes with perfect clarity and soul.
Another standout was Amar Atkins as Harold Zidler — an understudy who more than rose to the occasion. Atkins commanded the stage in each of his scenes and was a highlight in ensemble numbers.
Of course, the show would not be complete without its fantastic ensemble. Energy was radiating off the stage with each large group number, these songs worked especially well.
“Moulin Rouge!” is running at the Overture Center through July 21.
Bryna Goeking is an arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She also reports on campus news. Follow her on Twitter @BrynaGoeking.
