Moulin Rouge! The Musical (2024)

FAQs

What is the story of the Moulin Rouge musical? ›

The musical relates the story of Christian, a young composer, who falls in love with cabaret actress Satine, who is the star of the Moulin Rouge. Similar to the film, the musical's score weaves together original songs with popular music, including songs that have been written in the 17 years since the film's premiere.

Moulin Rouge is an amazing musical and visual treat. The songs, costumes and choreography takes you back to the original Moulin Rouge setting. Many modern songs have been added but it' it all fits beautifully. The musical embraces the theme that “Life is beautiful”.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is recommended for theatergoers ages 12 and up for adult themes, mild sexual content, alcohol use and suggestive dancing by often scantily clad performers.

Summaries. A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke. The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city's drug and prostitute infested underworld.

The use of opium and absinthe by the red-lit theatre's celebrity patrons also contributed to its popularity, and, at the same time, unpopularity with large parts of the Parisian public. Rumours of the Moulin Rouge being nothing but a glorified brothel only made the controversy worse.

Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe.

Some of the characters are loosely based on people from the real Moulin Rouge's history. A man named Charles Zidler was one of the club's co-founders (alongside Joseph Oller), and that's where Harold Zidler, the club owner in the Moulin Rouge! musical and movie, got his name.

There is a lot to love: with a wonderfully wild energy throughout, it's happily queerer than the film, and the well-known songs really are spectacular. The show's downfall comes with its attempts to bring the music up to date. The 2002 musical is famous for its jukebox choices, blending genres, styles and cultures.

In later decades legendary French singers like Charles Trenet and Charles Aznavour regularly wowed the crowds. Times have changed. Today's Moulin Rouge relies heavily on lip-syncing and prerecorded music, backed up by dozens of be-feathered Doriss Girls, long-legged ladies that prance about the stage.

Is Moulin Rouge adults only? Children as young as 6 are allowed, but the costumes are known to be a bit risqué, so travelers should note that the venue may not be the most suitable for kids.

How explicit is Moulin Rouge? ›

Are there a ton of allusions and euphemisms about sex for money, sex in general and a near rape scene when the duke finds out his money hasn't bought the sex he wanted? Yup. They skated by with a PG-13 because they never have true nudity or a full on sex scene, only pre and post.

Every evening on the legendary stage of the famous Parisian cabaret, the Moulin Rouge troupe, comprising 60 artists and dancers, thrills and enchants audiences all over the world. Trained in classical dance, the Moulin Rouge ballet performs on stage, demonstrating discipline in upbeat choreographies.

After the opening night, the Moulin Rouge quickly became synonymous with the energetic and provocative dance style known as the French Cancan. The vibrancy of high kicks and ruffled skirts became the cadence by which the cabaret built its fame, and a true symbol of the Moulin Rouge thanks to Toulouse-Lautrec's posters.

The film stars Nicole Kidman as Satine, a star dancer who has a deadly secret; she is dying of tuberculosis. This is not a secret from the audience, which learns it early on, but from Christian (Ewan McGregor), the would-be writer who loves her.

She has, and died of, a disease called "Tuberculosis". She died in the arms of her lover, Christian. The first time Christian saw Satine, she was singing "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend".

The greatest thing you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return. Love is the universal theme of Moulin Rouge, a film about a poet who goes to Paris on a journey of self-discovery and falls for a beautiful courtesan. It is a story that contrasts true and selfless love with lust.

The circus comes to town... with its troupe of clowns, mimes, acrobats, jugglers and Siamese twins! Colourful scenes and flamboyant music culminate in a grand parade of the Moulin Rouge dancers.