Moulin Rouge! is one of the most extravagant, lavish, and spell-binding of modern musicals. Baz Luhrmann’s luscious production Oscar-nominated film has stayed with the popular consciousness for nearly two decades. Finally, it looks like the movie is going to get a chance to tread the boards of a live theater.
Alex Timbers (Rocky: The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher) will be guiding the adaptation. The play’s book will be written by John Logan (screenwriter of Skyfall, Star Trek: Nemesis, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street).
Moulin Rouge! is famous for its jukebox style song list which includes tunes from The Police, Madonna, Nirvana, Elton John, Queen, and many others. The poppy and energetic renditions have become beloved in their own right. Will the stage version subtract some of these tunes? Or will it add some? Will new songs be chosen or even written for the show? So many questions!
It’s honestly surprising that it’s taken this long for Moulin Rouge! to get to the stage. It’s an inherently theatrical story and will be an unavoidable draw to the theater crowd. Those people love overly expensive and brightly colored sets as much as Tallahassee loves Twinkies. Reference!
There isn’t a set date or opening venue listed yet. Will Moulin Rouge! make its debut on Broadway? Or will it land overseas? Will the actual Moulin Rogue play a part in this production? It only seems fitting. The historic cabaret celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2014. Bringing a big production to its revered stage would be a wonderful way to honor the legendary locale.
Regardless, we’ll keep our eyes and ears tuned for any movement on this. In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful musical number “Come What May” from the 2001 film, sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. It’s a good one!
