The national tour of Moulin Rouge brings a dazzling taste of Belle Époque Paris to Sunderland, with spectacle, colour, sex, humour and terrific performances, all laced with a hefty dose of pop classics.
Baz Luhrman’s 2001 movie, Moulin Rouge, was audacious and unique. Seeing the lives and loves of the denizens of the most notorious nightspot in 19 th Century Paris through an unashamedly contemporary lens, and set to a score of modern pop songs, seemed risky enough. Adding two leads who were not known as singers seemed almost foolhardy. Nevertheless, its heady mix of vulgarity, spectacle and charm made it a smash hit.
25 years later, the 2018 stage musical is touring, and lovers of the film may wonder how it can possibly deliver the same exhilaration and sheer pizzazz. They need not be concerned. To say that this show fills both the eye and the ear would be a distinct understatement. The show is longer than the film and its score has been expanded with songs by 21st century luminaries such as Lady Gaga and Adele. Even so, Alex Timbers’ direction of John Logan’s book retains all the frantic energy, humour and passion of the original.
The atmosphere is generated by Derek McLane’s wonderfully lavish and over-the-top sets, matched by Catherine Zuber’s sumptuous and sexy costumes, all dexterously picked out and glorified by Justin Townsend’s striking lighting design. Peter Hylenski’s sound design skilfully underpins it all.
The story is not complex. A naive and penniless songwriter, Christian, falls for the Moulin Rouge’s worldly but tender-hearted star performer, Satine. Like most cabaret performers of the time, Satine is also a courtesan and has been promised to the wealthy but ruthless Duke of Monroth by impresario Harold Zidler in return for the funds to prop up the theatre’s ailing finances.
Christian and his Bohemian friends, artist Toulouse Lautrec and choreographer Santiago, persuade the Duke to finance a new production, showcasing Christian’s songs. Christian and Satine conduct a clandestine affair, hoping the Duke will not find out. Meanwhile Satine, in the manner of tragic heroines across the ages, is exhibiting the early stages of consumption. Consumption, of course, is the old name for tuberculosis but in theatre convention it manages not to be bound by the inconvenient facts of the actual disease. Still, nobody comes to Moulin Rouge for historical accuracy. Around this story are set an extravagant array of jewel-bright musical numbers, inventively choreographed by Sonya Tahe. One has to say that, like the other creatives, she totally got the assignment. She is well served by the principals and a fiercely hard-working ensemble. Nobody is phoning it in here.
The leading players are uniformly excellent. Verity Thompson’s Satine brings the necessary diamond-like sparkle, a terrific set of pipes and the right measure of worldliness and vulnerability. Nate Landskroner matches her vocally as Christian, while engagingly personifying the lovelorn and unworldly young artist. Kurt Kansley as Lautrec and Rodrigo Negrini as Santiago draw rich characterisations and provide sturdy support. James Bryers is an imposing and manly Duke, with a strong voice and good moves. Presiding over it all, though, is Cameron Blakeley’s miraculous Harold Zidler. This is a gem of a characterisation. Camp, mischievous, avuncular and commanding by turns, he gives a masterclass in nuance and the sheer joy of performance.
If the first act feels a little superficial and, at first, somewhat overwhelming by virtue of the onslaught of musical numbers, it is true to the spirit of the original. The second act brings more heartfelt emotion and it delivers the tragic denouement most effectively.
I struggle to pick out highlights, given the sheer number of outstanding moments, but I can assure devotees of the movie that all the standout songs are here, along with some very powerful new ones. The exception, if I recall correctly, may be the song ‘Spectacular, spectacular.’ This is ironic because spectacular is what this production undoubtedly is.
The finale, I should point out, is as lavish and joyous as what went before it, topping out the evening in fine style, to the delight of the enthusiastic Sunderland audience. If you want an escapist night of glitz, glamour and romance, you could hardly do better than this.
Review: Jonathan Cash
Photos: Matt Crockett
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