It took 17 years from the release of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film for Moulin Rouge to finally make the logical step to a stage musical, and after many delays due to the pandemic it has finally opened in London.
In what was undoubtedly an incredibly complicated process to transfer a masterfully theatrical movie to the stage, the big question is obviously: does it live up to the hype?
And the answer is unfortunately, not really.
It feels like audiences are going to come away with one of two reactions to this production.
The first is being blown away at the spectacle of it all, and there is absolutely no denying that it is the biggest spectacle in the West End right now. Upon entering the auditorium, it's very easy for the sheer scale of what the audience are presented with to take their breath away. It's incredibly immersive as it doesn't stop at the pros arch and really pulls the audience into the world of the Moulin Rouge. There is an argument that it's all a bit too flash, as its supposedly to be a bit of a seedy nightclub, and it all feels very polished and perfect, but you sort of forgive it this because of the volume of what is knocking your senses.
Both acts of the show begin with some of the best set pieces I've seen in a show...ever? 'Welcome to the Moulin Rouge' is a full five stars, reeling you into the world and giving you everything that this production has from beat one. Similarly, 'Backstage Romance' at the top of Act 2 is a visual feast for the sense as the tight ensemble are throwing themselves around the stage to the music of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.
But the issue is that because of both acts start as good as this show can possibly get, they have nowhere to go but...down.
My main issue with the show as a piece of theatre is that it's just an objectively bad adaptation of a really great movie, in one big way.
In the film, Moulin Rouge is a story about risking it all for love, putting everything on the line, and a story that is ultimately about life and death. The issue with the stage adaptation is that I didn't believe either of the central characters actually gave a monkeys about each other. A large reason for this is the two leading performances (which I will come onto shortly) but the real crux of the problem is that the heart of the original story has gone. John Logan's book for the musical relies on cheap laughs, and the characters mugging to the audience every time a pop song comes in. There was logic behind the music in the film: there was a nudge and wink to numbers like Like A Virgin but they ultimately had a reason for being there, whereas Logan has created a bizarre musical comedy that relies on the audience shrieking with laughter (and on occasions joining in...!) when the cast sing songs like Shut Up And Dance With Me.
A lot of the problems with the book could be glossed over if the cast were top notch and able to really bring some heart out if it (along with the sheer spectacle of the production). But the issue is...quite a few of the key cast are just not right for their parts.
It's always an interesting risk when cast very young actors (often right out of drama school) to lead a brand new musical, and there's plenty of examples where it works (e.g Sam Tutty in Dear Evan Hansen and Jamal Westmam in Hamilton) but I don't think it paid off here, and that's largely just because both Jamie Bogyo and Lisii LaFontaine are just...too young for their roles. LaFontaine does fine with her material and does bring the house down with her performance of 'The Sparkling Diamond' but she lacks the real desperation or indeed life experience needed for the woman who is single handedly holding her family's future in her hands. As the bohemian Christian, Bogyo unfortunately just feels very miscast. He sings well throughout, but the character's loveable nature is missing, which as a result up-ends the entire production. There's also little to no chemistry between the pair (in contrast to Kidman and McGregor in the film) which makes the central plot difficult to invest in when you don't believe that they actually care about each other all that much, and causes big numbers like the 'Elephant Love Medley' and 'Come What May' to not land as they should.
Supporting performances however are largely excellent. Clive Carter is magnificent with his performance as the master of ceremonies Harold Zidler - enticing everyone into his world and keeping just on the right side of endearing - and Simon Bailey plays the Duke a little more panto-baddie than expected but it certainly works. Jason Pennycook is doing great work as Tolouse, but his new storyline with Satine is at odds with his and LaFontaine's respective ages (although this is not his fault)
The ensemble work unbelievably hard in this show, with visually exciting choreography from Sonya Tayeh throughout and a wonderfully diverse (in so many ways) cast who all look incredible in Catherine Zuber's astonishing costumes.
The critical reviews for this are not going to matter for the majority of people who want to see it - the show is a visual spectacle and the essence of the film is stil in there somewhere, and people will likely have a lovely time.
If you have any sort of critical eye for theatre though, you will very quickly see past the spectacle and see the issues (and the easy solutions that could make this show a lot better).
November 2021
Piccadilly Theatre, London
⭐⭐⭐
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