By Lucy Ward

On Tuesday, March 4, the cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical was preparing for its opening night at the Altria Theater.  A week and a half later, I was sitting in a velvet red seat along with my sister and parents, watching the opening dances on the stage illuminated in red.

Photo courtesy of Moulin Rouge! The Musical website.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical was adapted from the 2001 Twentieth Century Studios film Moulin Rouge! written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. The musical is set in a club in Paris, France, called Moulin Rouge, at the turn of the 20th century. However, everything “you will see in the theatre tonight is a work of theatrical imagination in the spirit of the Moulin Rouge of Paris,” says the playbill.

Moulin Rouge in the early 20th century. Photo courtesy of the Moulin Rouge website.

The real Moulin Rouge nightclub began as more of a dance hall when it was opened on October 6, 1889, by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, according to the club’s website. Moulin Rouge was the birthplace of a new style of dance called the French Cancan, which was inspired by the quadrille. This club was in the fashion district of Paris, where rich men could come and see a very different lifestyle from their own. In the 1930s, the ballroom style of the club was transformed into a stage with lights and bright colors for shows to be performed. The style of the performances was also adapted to be more of a grand performance than a show of the new style of dance. The Moulin Rouge club in Paris is still open today. The current spectacle lasts two hours, and the French Cancan is incorporated into the show, along with surprise acts and dance scenes. 

The musical is set in this nightclub and follows Christian, played in this traveling Broadway production by Jay Armstrong Johnson, who comes to Paris to pursue his dream of becoming a poet during the Bohemian movement. Christian then finds Toulouse-Lautrec, played by Jahi Kearse, who prompts him to persuade a star from the Moulin Rouge to listen to the musical they have written. The character Toulouse-Lautrec is inspired by the real-life French artist and Cancan aficionado Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The Moulin Rouge’s star is Satine, played by Arianna Rosario.

Satine and Christian. Photo courtesy of the Richmond Theater website.

After a confusion of identity with the Duke of Monroth, played by Andrew Brewer, Satine and Christian meet and fall in love. The club is failing due to the lack of investment from visitors, so Satine is pressured by nightclub owner Harold Zidler, played by Robert Petkoff, into seducing the Duke and submitting to his wishes in hopes of him funding the club. Satine, however, is very sick with tuberculosis and struggles to put on a brave face, especially with her ever-growing love for Christian.

The 2001 film Moulin Rouge! featured music from artists such as Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. Satine was played by Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman, and Ewan McGregor was Christian. I have not seen the movie; however, The Guardian described the movie as a “madly over-excitable film.”

When we walked into the Altria Theater, there was palpable excitement. The stage was illuminated in red lights, and the first dancer was on stage, walking around and dancing in character. As we waited for the musical to start, more dancers walked onto the stage in character and started dancing or walking around. Finally, the music started, and the theater quieted as the opening number was performed. The performance lasts about two and a half hours, with a short intermission. 

This musical played at the Altria Theater from March 4 to March 16 as part of the Altria Theater’s Broadway in Richmond series, and it is performed year-round on Broadway in New York. There are many mixed reviews of the musical, including one on the New York show from Stage Left and one on the traveling show from the Music City Review. I was invested throughout the musical and followed along easily with the plot. The innuendos and light-hearted jokes lightened the tragedy of the failing club and the struggles of the star-crossed lovers. After the performance, my mother said the musical “was very interesting and modern. Different from the original, but equally good.”