Moulin Rouge

Musical (2018)
Book by John Logan
Based on the 2001 Twentieth Century Studios motion picture written by Baz Luhrmann
and Craig Pearce, directed by Baz Luhrmann
Directed by Alex Timbers
Music Direction by Wendy Feaver
Broadway in Boston
Citizens Opera House
Washington Street, Boston
July 30 – August 2, 2026

Choreographed by Sonya Tayeh; Scenic Design: Derek McLane; Costume Design: Catherine Zuber; Lighting Design: Justin Townsend; Sound Design: Peter Hylenski; Technical Supervision: Juniper Street Productions; Music Producer: Matt Stine; Co-Orchestrators: Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine; Dance Arrangements: Justin Levine, Matt Stine; Music Coordinator: Michael Aarons; Music Supervisor, Co-Orchestrator, Arrangements and Additional Lyrics: Justin Levine

With Gabriela Carrillo (Satine), Luke Monday (Christian), Robert Petkoff (Harold Zidler), Aaron C. Finley (The Duke of Monroth), Alex Nicholson (Toulouse-Lautrec), Danny Burgos (Santiago), Amara Berhan (Arabia), Rhys Carr (Pierre), Kaitlin Mesh (Nini), Adea Michelle Sessoms (La Chocolat), Rodney Thompson (Baby Doll); Ensemble: Amara Berhan, Mateus Barbosa da Silva, Andrew Brewer, Rhys Carr, Grace Conrad, Darius Crenshaw, Nathan Fister, Collin Heyward, Emerson Majarucon, Connor McRory, Nayah Merisier, Hannah Morrison, Elyse Niederee, Jimena Flores Sanchez, Adéa Michelle Sessoms, Rodney Thompson, Nicolas de la Vega, Jerald Vincent

Christian (Luke Monday), a young American composer, shows up in Paris full of gusto and ambition and meets Toulouse-Lautrec (Alex Nicholson) and Santiago (Danny Burgos), who encourage him to try to get in to see Satine (Gabriela Carrillo), a star of the stage at the Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge is managed by Harold Zidler (Robert Petkoff) who is more down on his luck than might seem, and he encourages Satine to warm up to The Duke of Monroth (Aaron C. Finley), who, replete with coin, might be able to help things out.

Satine and Christian do meet and, without wasting too much time, fall in love. But Zidler is on to Satine to sidle up to and seduce the Duke, so there is a lot of romantic tugging in two directions. On top of this, Christian, along with help by Toulouse and Santiago, has composed a show which the Moulin Rouge will produce, but only if the Duke will fund it. The Duke does so, mostly to get in good with Satine. On the side, Satine and Christian are cuddling, while on the outside, the Duke is trying to doll Satine up as a society lady.

Apparently, the Duke has a bad reputation for doing mean things to women who have betrayed him with other lovers, and he threatens to do this to Christian, which puts Satine in a bind. (See spoilers section below.) Christian’s play is a shadow story about him, Satine and the Duke. The one thing that underlies it all but does not get advertised is that Satine, like a good nineteenth century operatic heroine, has severe consumption (tuberculosis). Needless to say, things get pretty complicated. (For the outcome, see spoilers below.)

I saw this musical in 2018 when it premiered in Boston and was not particularly impressed. It was big, expensive, gaudy and did not hit home with me. Though the cast included the demonstrably talented Danny Burstein as Harold Zidler, Karen Olivo as Satine, and Aaron Tveit as Christian, I was not bowled over. It seemed too brash, too crude, too over-the-top to make its mark.

AS a result, I had low expectations anticipating the current touring version, now in Boston. At first, as the completely indulgent opening ran its course, I was afraid that the whole thing was going to be a bust. But, as things opened up and rolled along, my expectations were decisively exceeded. The show indeed is big, brash, and over-the-top, but it is very well staged, brilliantly lit, beautifully sung, and nicely put together, a considerable delight overall.

To be sure, this is a jukebox musical par excellence, with seventy or more partial songs or quotes of songs, mostly from rock ‘n roll lists from the last decades, but from other things as well. It’s lots of fun throughout to ooh and aah and giggle with the audience as each tune comes up, sometimes only for a few bars. (If one is truly earnest and has a magnifying glass, one can read the very fine print of the program which lists all of the many songs included. It’s fun to go back and look and see what’s there.)

Though the score is literally an amalgamation of popular songs with a deftly orchestrated melding of them but not much in the way of original composition, the whole thing works quite well. Certainly, in this case, familiarity breeds contentment as most of the audience settles into each well-known tune as it appears.

Throughout all of this, there is some great singing and ensemble. With a complex quilt of tunes to get through, all the principals do a wonderful job, both in solo and ensemble format, with truly pleasing results. And occasionally, there is a striking vocal moment, one of which is offered, interestingly, by Alex Nicholson as Toulouse-Lautrec, who has a lovely sonorous solo. But all of the leads are good, with Luke Monday as Christian in notable vocal form, supported nicely by Gabriela Carrillo as Satine. In good voice in the more satirical role as Harold Zidler, Robert Petkoff does a fine job.

Acting is good too, and clearly direction by Alex Timbers has been adept. Luke Monday is a sweet and charming male lead and Gabriela Carrillo has an appropriate balance of jadedness and sexy charisma to hold up the part of a desirable star with a dark past, now afflicted with consumption. Petkoff is very good and very funny as Zidler, and, as the Duke, Aaron C. Finley seems to channel the looks and demeanor of Elon Musk enough to make the role chillingly immediate and relevant.

One truly cannot say enough about the elaborate lighting in this show, done with virtuosic indulgence by Justin Townsend in a endlessly wild but appealing way. Complementing this is the set by Derek McLane, which must take a caravan of trucks to transport, but which is inventive in all sorts of ways. Costumes by Catherine Zuber are brilliantly colorful and sometimes sleek, including even a somewhat cross-dressing outfit for the Duke. The music is well done and the orchestra plays adeptly. The choreography is omnipresent and lively.

Overall: Brash, colorful, full of loudness and an endless array of familiar songs, but very well done, and, in its own nineteenth century operatic way, touching.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)