Moulin Rouge, Global Creatures and 38 other producers, Regent Theatre Melbourne til April 29 2022, Capitol Theatre Sydney from 28 may 2022 to 4 Sept 2022.

 

Baz Luhrman's film of "Moulin Rouge" is a cinematic overwhelming of romance, music, dance and drama, constantly going over the top in somewhere between cinematic throwback and ultra-modern split-second editing, with Ewan McGregor's most endearing grins, Nicole Kidman's most smoldering glances, Jim Broadbent's most ebullient glee, Richard Roxborough's silliest accent and a glorious amount of pizazz. Two decades later, it hits the Australian stage as a show with just as much energy, with most of the notable songs from the original film plus hits of the last two decades (mostly divas like Sia, Beyoncé, Pink, and Rhianna - as I said to a friend afterwards, artists beloved of gay men and teenage girls), in a production that brings glamour, energy and spectacle back to musical theatre. 

There's some sensitive rearrangements of the material to adjust for the requirements of the stage and to rebalance the central love triangle to be more of an actual triangle and less a love story with an idiot off to the side. It brings the audience in by spreading the set across the whole proscenium, including rotating windmill and be-trunked elephant, plus having much of the action occur on a ramp going out into the audience, bringing us into the action. The direction by Alex Timbers, choreography by Sonya Tayteh, set-design by Derek McLane, Costumes by Catherine Zuber, Lighting design by Justin Townsnd and Sound by Peter Hyelinski are all done to the hilt, landing the show between late 19th century Paris and Right Here, Right Now. It is lavish, spectacular and completely engrossing in a "what are they going to do next" kinda way

The cast are, astonishingly, not outshone by the show going on around them but match and surpass it. Anita Chidzey launches to the theatrical stratosphere as Satine, with a performance of power, strength and emotion that makes me wish I wasn't boycotting Free-Rain productions in the last decade or so because I wanted to see people I knew from the local theatre in lead roles, because then I woulda been able to say "I knew here when she was playing Mary Poppins". Des Flanagan gives charming romanticism to the role of role of Christian. Simon Burke is having the time of his life as the pandering Harold Ziegler, enjoying taking the audience in the palm of his hand and playing them like a symphony orchestra. Tim Omaji as Tolouse-Lautrec is even less Lautrecian than John Leguiziamo was but gives passion and energy to the role, Andrew Cook sleazes suitably as the reengineered role of the Duke. Ryan Gonzalez smoulders and struts as the tango-dancing Santiago, and Samantha Dodemaide impresses as the independent-minded Nini. 

This is big, impressive, overpowering spectacle that produces pure joy and gives the audience everything it possibly can. It's a spectacular and fun night out.