Moulin Rouge The Musical Paints Sunderland Red
Moulin Rouge's stage spectacular is a real musical mash-up
When Moulin Rouge! was released in 2001, it was the last in Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy. A relentlessly chaotic and intense romance, despite being set in 1890s Paris Luhrmann’s signature style proves jukebox musicals can work if they’re done right. I suppose I could blame Luhrmann for my continued high expectations for (and criticisms of) more recent jukebox musicals.
My expectations for this production are even higher, given its multiple awards wins and huge acclaim, and the buzzy atmosphere of Sunderland Empire’s auditorium only adds to the anticipation. As we take our seats, we’re immediately transported to the Moulin Rouge, as cast members and the ensemble appear on stage slowly dancing to music which immerses us in the Bohemian atmosphere. It’s well worth heading to your seat around 15 minutes before the show starts to take it all in.
Visually the production is spectacular (spectacular) from the offset. The set is stunning, from Satine’s dressing room (the iconic elephant) to the heart-shaped portals to the Moulin Rouge itself, with so much catching your eye, in clever contrast to the more dramatic moments in act two when dramatic lighting is the only thing needed to tell the story, and portray Christian’s heartache.
The opening moments are exactly what fans of the musical want to see. An incredible rendition of Lady Marmalade, a charismatic and hilarious Harold Zidler (Cameron Blakely), and a high energy can-can all leading to the amped up arrival of the ‘sparkling diamond’ Satine. It’s a lot of pressure for Verity Thompson but she plays a breathtaking Satine with powerful vocals and enchanting stage presence, and through all that still shows the hurt and pain at the heart of character. The costumes are as extravagant as the set and Satine’s sparkling diamond dress is genuinely dazzling. Her chemistry with Christian (Nate Landskroner) rivals that of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.
Film fans will also be thrilled to hear that act one brings us the craziness of The Pitch as the team pitch for their own show. I honestly wish this had gone on for longer – the cast do such an amazing job at throwing their all into this ridiculous performance. I’m also a big fan of the elephant love medley. There are quite a few additions to the musical numbers. Katy Perry’s Firework surprisingly really works, but we could’ve done without Lorde’s Royals (perhaps that’s a personal preference!). But the audience have fun with it and the cast even make a few of their own jabs at the song choices, after all it is a play within a play.
We already knew we were in for a treat with act two thanks to a spoiler of Backstage Romance (a remix of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Toxic by Britney Spears with a hint of Sweet Dreams and Seven Nation Army) which we had already seen teased on Strictly Come Dancing and BGT. It really works. Surprisingly, so does Sia’s Chandelier in the Green Fairy scene where absinthe is poured into shot glasses which in turn light up green. This leads straight into a very dramatic El Tango De Roxanne. Nate’s best moment by far, he has the whole audience in the palm of his hand as Christian, and when it comes to the reprise of Come What May the applause is absolutely deserved. Stick around for the encore for even more can-canning.
