“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

[rating=5]Theater is back! And, it is back with a flourish! Since the return to the stages, our Broadway In Chicago theaters have been doing one big production after another and the hits keep coming! By the way, the other area theaters ( including Milwaukee) are also bringing us some wonderful productions. I guess 700 plus days of no theater made the actors and production people just as anxious as those wanting to be entertained. Tonight was the long awaited North American Tour of the Tony Award-Winning Best Musical, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical!”, which was delayed a bit due to Covid hitting several leading roles. We waited and I for one am glad that I did so, What an opening night! One can see why this production won ten awards in 2021. The book is by John Logan and is based  on the film written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. The production is keenly directed by Alex Timbers with amazing choreography by Sonya Tayeh.

When one thinks about Paris and the Montmarte ( artsy-fartsy area) you can think about plays like “Cabaret”, “Can-Can” and operas like “La boheme” which led to “Rent”. This is a story about some decadent people and about love as well as power. “Moulin Rouge” is a club that has been around since the late 1880’s. It is now over 130 years old and if you know your art, you know that Toulouse-Latrec created their posters. The concept was that the ultra rich could have a place to “slum”, drink, party and of course enjoy the women and men who were employed there. Is it possible that love could exist in such a place?

In this brilliant work, which mixes the story of love and hate and passion along with snippets of modern day pop tunes, we have two and a half wonderful hours ( one intermission) of highly energetic performance art. Yes, there is an art to what this cast does and from start to finish, they will elate you with their handling of love and power. Desperate love, foolish love, passionate love and honest love, the kind you never forget.

When you enter the James Nederlander Theatre you will see the beautiful Moulin Rouge with its special effects on the walls. The stage will have performers about 15 minutes prior to the actual start. This is designed to take you away from  the “loop” in Chicago to Paris, France and the flavor of the nightclub where  you will be spending your evening . As the play begins we meet some men. One of them is The Duke of Monroth (David Harris is powerful) ,a wealthy man who is at the club in order to spend the evening with the star performer Satine ( played to perfection by Courtney Reed). The other young man who wants to meet her is Christian , a young American songwriter who is hoping to write a musical for her in which to star. He is poor and has no idea of how life is in Paris . This role is played by Conor Ryan  who is ideal and will win your heart, as he does hers.

There is a case of mistaken identity when Christian enters Satine’s quarters but she is expecting the Duke. Not knowing an error has taken place, she finds herself falling in love with this young “artiste”. Therin lies the rub. The Duke has power and money and the club is in financial straits, The owner/Emcee Harold Zidler ( a strong performance by Austin Durant) must agree to allow the Duke to take over the club to keep it open and save the jobs for all of his employees. They will do a play that Christian will create along with his new friends, Santiago (  the delightful Gabe Martinez) and Toulouse-Latrec ( the amazing Andre’ Ward).

While these are the main characters in the story and the play within a play, the energy and style come from the ensemble who are highly energetic and talented” composed of Libby Lloyd ( boy can she dance), Yvette Gonzalez Nacer, Nicci Claspell, Harper Miles, Andres Quintero, Adrienne Balducci, Andrew Brewer, Jack Cahill_lemme, Sam J. Cahn, Darius Crenshaw, Alexander Gil-Cruz, Alexa De Barr, Tamrin Goldberg, Alexis Hashbrook, Jordan Fife Hunt, Justin Keats, Tyler John Logan, Tanisha Moore, Brayden Newby, Kent Overshown, Amy Quanbeck, Adea Michelle Sessoms, Jenn Stafford, Denzel Tsopnang, Travis Ward-Osborne, Sharrod Williams, Jennifer Wolfe and  Keely Beirne .   They are all   TERRIFIC!

The sets (Derek McLane) and costumes (Catherine Zuber) are wonderful but the big thing is the lighting (Justin Townsend) and the sound (Peter Hylenski) the production depends on these very much and we were able to watch the set up during their preview for the press prior to opening. They are miracle workers and if you are looking for an entertainment experience that you will never forget- this is it!

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is here until May 14th.

Tuesdays  7: 30 p.m.

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $52.50 and are available at all Broadway In Chicago box offices, Ticketmaster or online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com

The James Nederlander Theatre is located at  24 West Randolph Street

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”.

Masks and Vac cards/ID for all BIC productions.

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Due to Covid, the original opening night was moved, but  as they say, “The show must go on” so the understudies went on in their places. Carol Moore was there and below you will find her review of the performance that she was witness to:

**** Highly Recommended **** Moulin Rouge! The Musical is truly spectacular! Your experience begins before you’re even seated. There’s a working windmill, outlined in white lights, on the left, a huge purple elephant on the right. On the stage, all lush red also outlined with white lights, Moulin Rouge (also in white) is emblazoned across a graduated series of hearts (with more even white lights). As you look closer, you’ll notice cast members, dancing, doing circus stunts, performing in slo-mo, even before curtain. Totally unexpected and a great start for an amazing experience. 4 BIG Spotlights
The Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill) has been a nightclub/cabaret in the Montmartre section of Paris since 1889. If you’re in Paris, it’s worth a visit. You’ll see a revue with gorgeous costumes, cabaret acts and of course, the Can-Can, which originated at the Moulin Rouge.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a jukebox musical, but the songs were recorded by different artists with distinctly different styles. The music runs the gamut from Broadway and film to the charts, everything from rock to hip hop. What made it fun for me was trying to identify the snippets before they segued into something else. I heard bits of Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley), Crazy (Patsy Cline), You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Rolling Stones), Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend (Carol Channing), What’s Love Got to Do with It (Tina Turner), Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it), (Beyoncé). Material Girl (Madonna), I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston), Sweet Dreams Are Made of This (Eurythmics) and many more.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical opens with a dynamic number in which the entire ensemble, wearing gorgeous glitzy costumes performs, beginning with Patti Labelle’s Lady Marmelade, and its distinctly French refrain, “Voulez vous coucher ave moi c’est soir?” which segues into an energetic Can-Can danced to Fatboy Slim’s Because We Can.
Meanwhile, Christian (Jack Cahill-Lemme), an aspiring young American songwriter, hanging about Montmartre looking for inspiration met up with two struggling playwrights, Toulouse-Lautrec (Denzel Tsopnang) and his dear friend, Santiago (Travis Ward-Osborne), an Argentinian. The three decide to work together.
After the number, Harold Zidler (Austin Durant), Major Domo and owner of the Moulin Rouge, greets the Duke of Monmoth (David Harris), whom he hopes will become a financial backer. As an incentive, he offers him Satine (Courtney Reed), whom he describes as the gem of the Moulin Rouge. After her performance, she will welcome him in her dressing room in the elephant.
That same evening, Christian wandered into the Moulin Rouge looking for inspiration. Sitting in a box opposite to the Duke, he falls instantly in love with Satine (Courtney Reed). She, knowing she must entertain the Duke, looks to the wrong box and mistakes Christian for the Duke, thinking it wouldn’t be that hard to be nice to him.
Christian goes to meet Satine, but brings Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago along so they can pitch their new play to her, hoping she’ll recommend it to Harold. When the Duke arrives, they convince him that they’re there to audition a new show for him. After running through the plot, he agrees to back it, the three friends leave him and Satine alone.
As I watched Moulin Rouge! The Musical, I only noticed one tiny glitch – when a chair leg broke as the Duke sat down. The Duke changed chairs and Santiago moved the broken one out of the way. Otherwise the show ran seamlessly.
After the performance, I learned that three of the stars were out with Covid, so understudies had stepped in as Christian, Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago. It was exciting to see Chicago’s own Jack Cahill-Lemme and Denzel Tsopnang get their chance. Kudos to understudies!
Note: Guests must show proof of vaccination with photo ID before entering the theater. Guests are required to wear masks while inside the building.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical runs through May 14th at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph Street, Chicago. Running time is 2 hours, 35 minutes with an intermission.
Performances are Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm; special 7:30 pm performances on May 1st & May 8th; with additional 2:00 pm matinees on Wednesdays, April 13th, April 20th & May 11th; and Thursdays, April 7th & May 12th. Note: Some weekend performances are sold out.
Tickets start at $52.50. FYI (800) 775- 2000 or www.BroadwayInChicago.com.