REVIEW: SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR! Moulin Rouge! at the Piccadilly Theatre, London.

Date of Performance: 5th of November 2022, 2.30PM

Venue: Piccadilly Theatre, London.

"It needed to be sexy, atmospheric and well-paced. This production achieves all of these, and more!" I can't stop raving about this production, so let's talk about it!!

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Our friends had encouraged us to book tickets to see Moulin Rouge!, I wasn't too keen. My partner really disliked the movie, and although I loved the film, I was anxious about how the audience would be. Perhaps it might be too rowdy, with many people having partaken in some pre-show drinks. Boy was I wrong! Moulin Rouge! is one of the best productions I have ever seen, and I am going to tell you all about it.

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A BIT ABOUT THE SHOW

Moulin Rouge! the musical is based off the iconic 2001 motion picture of the same name, directed by Baz Luhrmann. This jukebox musical follows the story of Christian, a composer, who falls in love with Satine, a performer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France.

With the movie being such an cult classic, the West End production (which opened in 2021) faced a mammoth task of executing the flair and passion behind Luhrmann's original direction. It needed to be sexy, atmospheric and well-paced. This production achieves all of these, and more!

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OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE PICCADILLY THEATRE

As my partner always says; "We probably won't get to see this again, so let's go all out." We decided that we would book a centre stalls seat directly behind the Can Can seats. These seat were incredible. Although we were slightly looking up, there was a speaker right in front of us, which really immersed us from the moment the opening iconic bass chords were played. They have done an amazing job making the theatre look like the Moulin Rouge, with a large elephant and windmill. Although we had to slightly lift our heads to see the stage fully, it was totally work it!

With these seats we booked a special experience in the Ambassador Lounge, which included a place to put our coats, a bottle of wine, a charcuterie board, a programme and intermission ice cream. This was so unusual for us, and we loved it. It was extremely calming to come in an hour early to the theatre and have a seat with a nice glass of wine. We could even hear the cast warming up onstage. Sometimes it is nice to be treated like royalty!

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MY THOUGHTS

Moulin Rouge! really shocked me in a way I didn't expect. I am going to try and not spoil anything, but the opening number left my jaw on the floor. We had no idea where to look. I honestly think my mouth was open in awe the entire time! I believe that the opening of Act I and II is worth the price of the ticket alone. Energetic, feisty, sexy! What more do you want?

I think a huge kudos has to go to the production team. Alex Timbers has done a wonderful job translating the show from screen to stage and keeping that powerful punch within the direction! Scenes are snappy and well paced. Moments are so striking (The Green Potion scene to name one in particular). The story was well told, flashy moments are contrasted with scenes of vunerability. Sonia Tayeh's choreography is wonderful. It is passionate, powerful, yet controlled. My partners favourite moment was the lighting design by Justin Townsend and the scenic design by Derek McLane. What I really enjoyed is how all the production elements worked together to create some striking images that I was so impressed by.

Every performer was on point during our performance. Even within the Tango, although they were not fully lit, the ensemble were fully invested with facial expression and choreography executed with passion and vigour. We couldn't believe that it was a matinee performance, and that they had to do a second performance a couple of hours later.

I would like to highlight a couple of performers in particular. Jamie Muscato was incredible as Christian. A part which is very hard to play, and could come across arrogant or annoying. He balances the line well, and delivers a very strong vocal.

We were very lucky to see the wonderful Tanisha Spring on as Satine as she is an Alternate. Wow, what a performer. She delivered every scene with passion and control. She seemed so comfortable on stage, and played a very different interpretation of Nicole Kidman's performance, which was lovely to see!

Amy Thornton as Nini did a wonderful job. Again, another very tough role, with very little stage time. Her tango and choreography in general was breath taking. Ben Richards as the Duke was way more handsome than the movie interpretation. It made it more believable for why Satine would want to go with him. His number was also well executed! I also really enjoyed Tiago Dhondt Hamburger as Baby Doll- acting choices were so well thought out. Not overplayed and had some beautiful moments.

The show runs seamlessly, and with many moving parts, the backstage team do a great job from sets, wigs and costumes.

Overall, we had a wonderful time! We left throughly entertained, and with some tearful eyes we marched straight to the merch stall to get some matching t shirts (another rarity!).

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I would highly recommend this production. If you are looking for a loud, flashy west end show, this is the one for you. Will I give it 5 Stars? Yeah, let's do it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moulin Rouge! the Musical runs in the Piccadilly Theatre, London.

You can get your tickets here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/moulin-rouge-the-musical/piccadilly-theatre/

Photographs from the Moulin Rouge! Website.