An extremely biased review by a fangirl of over a decade

Taking a break from the more existential writing on this blog, I have to take a moment to share my experience seeing the Moulin Rouge! musical on Broadway, because it was—completely unironically—maybe the pinnacle of my pop culture obsession. It’s not that it was my favorite Broadway musical or anything, but this obsession is just so layered that it felt like all of my different passions converging all at once; honestly, it felt like a kind of revelation, if I’m being dramatic.

To start—I’ve found that there are two kinds of people in the world: musical people and non-musical people. This has nothing to do with musical talent; I’m specifically referring to people that love Broadway musicals and people that don’t understand them. If you are the latter kind, you may as well skip this post because it’s just going to be a lot of gushing and it likely won’t make any sense to you. And even if you’ve known me for a long time, there’s still a good chance you don’t know that I am a musical person, because I’ve found that very few of my friends are musical people. I have always been a musical person, and this is because my mother raised me and my sisters that way. That’s always how it is. Your parents take you to musicals and you fall in love with the spectacle—the lights, the costumes, the songs, the experience of going to the theater. Non-musical people don't really understand this, because you have to suspend disbelief a little bit (Why are they always randomly breaking out into song? Why do they have to sing their feelings? Why are their facial expressions and motions so exaggerated?) and the music is less nuanced than regular music; it’s very straightforward, designed to make you feel very specific emotions at very specific points in the story. There is very little room for interpretation in Broadway—when a character feels sad, you feel sad too. But for musical people, we find personal resonance in it regardless.

My sisters and I have always treated going to a show as a reverential occasion; it was a special treat, I think because it felt very grown up at the time. To me, it felt like I imagined going to the opera would feel. We would always dress up a bit and bring our little purses full of candy (because that’s what children keep in their purses). We saw so many as kids because for a period of time, we were actually members of the Civic Theater in San Diego: The Lion King, Doctor Dolittle, Jersey Boys, Wicked, Aladdin, Annie, Cats, Rock of Ages. My eighth grade orchestra got to see Phantom of the Opera as our field trip and I was riveted the entire time (which also led to some very vivid nightmares later). I would always watch my cousin perform in community theater musicals and watch our high school’s productions—42nd Street, A Little Princess, Kiss Me Kate, Fiddler on the Roof. In my senior year of high school, I performed in the pit orchestra of my high school’s production of Man of La Mancha and it was one of the highlights of my high school career and my oboe career. My family still goes to musicals together as a family activity; recently we’ve seen Kinky Boots and Dear Evan Hansen, which were both amazing, and we always watch the movie adaptations, e.g. Les Misérables, Mamma Mia!, Grease, Hairspray, Chicago. My family watches musicals together like other families watch sports games together.

Now that I’m older and I live in New York, musicals are legitimately one of the things I love spending money on, because it’s always such a worthwhile experience (the exception is Cats, which even as a kid I hated with a burning passion, and had I paid money I would have demanded it back). I’ve seen my favorite musical, Waitress, three times, and I’ve adored it each time. And then Moulin Rouge! was made into a musical in 2018.

I’m pretty sure most of my good friends know about my Moulin Rouge! obsession—literally one of the main reasons I was so excited to go to Paris was to live out my penniless-writer-in-Paris dreams—but I doubt they really know how deep this obsession runs. When I first watched this movie at my friend Jess’ house back in 2009, I was immediately hooked. I didn’t have a lot of access to pop culture growing up and my media intake was very limited, so I was absolutely blown away by the fact that movie musicals like this existed. It is my comfort movie. It’s not only my favorite movie but a movie I legitimately never tire of watching. I have watched this movie over fifty times, and that is actually not an exaggeration. There was one month when I watched it every night, on my little iPod Nano, before I fell asleep. To this day, I rewatch it at least a couple times a year, and not only do I know the movie word-for-word by heart but I also know an almost concerning amount of trivia about it. At the peak of my obsession, I consumed every piece of content related to it I could find: interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, trivia, deleted scenes. I could give an hour-long TED Talk about this movie with zero preparation. This, and Mad Max: Fury Road (more on this later 👀)(edit: It’s out in the world and you can read it on my “Essays” page!).

But it’s a cult classic for a reason; it really is an incredible movie, and I mean that in the purest sense of the word. It’s opulent, spectacular, over-the-top, absurd...in other words, it’s a masterpiece. It’s a bit of a miracle that this film was ever made, and unlikely that a movie like it will ever be made again. Not that it’s a perfect metric, but it has a 7.6/10 rating on IMDB and a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is objectively impressive considering that it’s an unashamedly campy musical romance. But it’s also just a perfect showcase of so many different elements of filmmaking–music, choreography, costuming, cinematography, editing. It’s amazing to see how it all came together, to see the artistic process. It’s left such a legacy, and it’s so lovely to hear the actors discussing it with so much appreciation and tenderness so many years later.

The other important thing of note is that Moulin Rouge! began my obsession with Ewan McGregor, who I still adore to this day (but really, how can you not?). I have had relatively few celebrity crushes in my life, but they are nothing if not extremely persistent. I will still watch anything with him in it. I went to a happy hour with my team a while ago and we were discussing our first celebrity crushes, and I honestly couldn’t really remember having any as a kid (because again, limited access to pop culture), but Ewan McGregor was the first one I really remember. As in full-blown butterflies whenever I watched him on screen. It was incredibly embarrassing but I’m also not going to pretend that he’s not still extremely handsome and talented. And he has such incredible range! I won’t say he’s underrated as an actor, but I feel like people don’t realize that he’s not just Obi-Wan Kenobi or Mark Renton. And the fact that that was his first singing role? Come on.

So when I found out about the Moulin Rouge! musical, I was honestly not that excited about it, because I loved the movie and Ewan McGregor so much, and I was convinced that any other version would be sacrilege (I am a strong advocate of leaving perfection alone). The original film is known for its gratuitous use of popular music—Courtney Love famously allowed Baz Luhrmann to use “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a rare example of her letting people use Kurt Cobain’s work—and “El Tango de Roxanne” is one of the craziest feats of arranging I’ve ever seen in my entire life; it’s “Roxanne” by The Police reimagined as an operatic tango. Just pure brilliance. Truly the work of a mad genius. It still gives me chills, even after watching it so many times. They deliberately used popular music to demonstrate Christian being ahead of his time, but because the movie was released in 2001 and the musical originated in 2018, there were 17 years of popular music in between the movie and the musical version.

So I had my doubts. But then I found this video of the insanely talented Aaron Tveit, who originated the role on Broadway (you may also recognize him as Enjolras from the Les Misérables movie and Tripp van der Bilt from Gossip Girl!) singing “El Tango de Roxanne,” on TikTok. I am obsessed with this video. Actually obsessed. I literally have it bookmarked on my laptop because it truly brings me so much joy to watch; it is my Tom Holland Lip Sync Battle video. The little growl and the way he absolutely sails up an octave on “I can’t fight” and the opt up at the end of “I love you” kills me every single time. It actually leaves me breathless; he’s so good.

And then it was announced in May that Derek Klena was taking over the role of Christian. There was a lot of controversy in his casting, as there always is when the original Broadway cast leaves, the same way people always initially hate the new Doctor in Doctor Who. People expressed doubt about him following Aaron, who had played the role for almost five years, and Derek’s ability to nail the raw passion of “El Tango de Roxanne,” which is undoubtedly the emotional climax of the show. I had no idea who he was prior (nor did I know who Aaron Tveit was; I have not kept up with the Broadway circuit in recent years), but I liked that he exuded the same “young, starry-eyed poet in love” energy as Ewan McGregor did back in the original film, and felt like he would do justice to the role.

I was fully obsessed at that point, and entered the lottery for Moulin Rouge! on Broadway. Musicals are probably one of the things I’ve missed most during the pandemic; I can live without bars and clubs, but there’s nothing quite like seeing musicals in person. Musical people feel the way about Broadway shows that non-musical people feel about seeing live concerts. I was very poor when I first moved to the city five years ago and didn’t really have the money to go to shows, and then just when I’d started going again, COVID happened. I’ve mostly avoided crowded indoor spaces for the past three years (bars, movie theaters, clubs, etc.), but I decided to take the risk—albeit a calculated risk, wearing an N95 the whole time—because Broadway is one of the things worth the risk. And my sister convinced me that I would regret it if I didn’t go. “Just wear a mask and you’ll be fine,” she told me. She’s been working in a hospital for all of COVID, so for me that was exactly the reassurance I needed.

And it was a perfect night. I truly forgot how nice it was to be completely immersed in something, to experience something collectively with hundreds of other people who are just as excited to be there as you are. I felt wonderstruck leaving the theater. I can’t remember the last time I had that feeling. Broadway is really such a transformative experience...to me, it’s so different than seeing movies in a theater. I always feel a bit dazzled by the lights and the music and the energy. I’m also a person with a lot of big emotions—larger-than-life, marrow-deep, existentially confusing—and Broadway sort of offers this soft place to put them, to allow all of it to consume you completely in the loveliest way.

I think a lot of non-musical people think of Broadway as kind of a low art form because of its earnestness, but I’d argue on a scale of Marvel movies to opera, it’s somewhere in the high middle, just because all of the elements take so much skill. You have to be able to sing, dance, and act; you have to convey emotion from all the way onstage up into the nosebleed seats.

I bought a Moulin Rouge! sweatshirt, of course. When I first saw Wicked on Broadway back in 2007, my mom bought me a hoodie that was entirely too big for me, and I wore it almost every day of seventh grade. Funny how things don’t change at all. Except now the sweatshirt actually fits me, and I’m buying it with adult money. Wild.

That being said, the musical was simply...good. I had pretty realistic expectations and knew the musical would not be a perfect reproduction of the movie (in fact, Baz Luhrmann specifically said “don’t just put my movie on the stage”), but I was curious about how it would translate to a set, how it would be interpreted for a live performance. Broadway musicals are such feats of engineering because they’re all live; all the actors, lighting people, musicians have just one shot at perfection. So it was interesting to watch behind-the-scenes footage, to see the making of the musical, and then to see it in real life.

To me, the movie remains incomparable and untouchable. Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Richard Roxburgh, and Jim Broadbent were all top-tier casting choices, and Ewan’s “Your Song,” “El Tango de Roxanne,” and “Come What May” are still my favorite renditions, even if he’s not a professional singer. But there was something inexplicably magical about seeing Moulin Rouge! come to life; to be fully immersed in the world rather than just watching it on an iPod or laptop screen (this was me with every scene).

And so there were a lot of disappointments. The script was mostly underwhelming and they made a couple of very strange plot choices that felt unnecessary (Toulouse absolutely did not need a romantic subplot). But perhaps the most disconcerting thing was the music and arrangements. “El Tango de Roxanne” is perfect in the film; I think it was a mistake to change any part of it. And I will never forgive them for making Katy Perry’s “Firework” a power ballad.

It was strange to hear artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Sia instead of Madonna, Kiss, David Bowie, and Nirvana, and in the movie, “Elephant Love Medley” felt timeless and classic, whereas in the musical it included “Everlasting Love” by Love Affair, “Fidelity” by Regina Spektor, “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis, and “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service, which felt dated. The music choices were more middling popularity than anything—this Guardian piece nails it:

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. For the stage, the creators have added in a chaotic new playlist of flatly popular songs, from Rick Astley to Lorde.

I think ultimately what the movie did so well was fully play into the camp—it was gloriously uncool and over-the-top, which is why I’ve always loved it so much; there’s not a speck of pretension in it. Baz Luhrmann has talked about how it was inspired by Bollywood:

“When I was in India researching Midsummer Night’s Dream, we went to this huge, ice cream picture palace to see a Bollywood movie. Here we were, with 2,000 Indians watching a film in Hindi, and there was the lowest possible comedy and then incredible drama and tragedy and then break out in songs. And it was three-and-a-half hours! We thought we had suddenly learnt Hindi, because we understood everything! We thought it was incredible. How involved the audience were. How uncool they were—how their coolness had been ripped aside and how they were united in this singular sharing of the story. The thrill of thinking, ‘Could we ever do that in the West? Could we ever get past that cerebral cool and perceived cool.’”

While the movie leaned into things like men in tutus singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and a dramatic, sweeping rendition of “Like a Virgin,” the musical failed to capture the same sincerity. It felt almost like satire; a little too self-conscious and self-aware, like a wink-wink-nudge-nudge to the audience, tripping over its own attempt at cleverness. The movie, for all its sweetness and camp, is still dark and tragic (it’s modeled after La Boheme, La Traviata, and the Orphean myth, for god’s sake). The best way I can describe it is that the film was written for the female gaze and the musical was written for the male gaze.

But (there’s always a but) there were a lot of amazing things about it (it has won 10 Tony awards to date, including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, Best Direction, Best Choreography, and Best Costuming). The magic is in seeing it all come together—all of the joy and spectacularness.

A highlight was “Backstage Romance,” a medley of “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, “Toxic” by Britney Spears, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, and “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. The quickness and seamlessness of the choreography paired with the music was incredible to watch; it was pure wild, ferocious energy all the way through. What this musical lacked in cohesion, it made up for in zeal, because it was fun. And in many ways, that’s a good enough reason to go see it! Moulin Rouge! is supposed to be fun, and both the musical and the movie have that in common.

And for what it was, the casting was impeccable—Ashley Loren has the most angelic voice, and played Satine with the perfect mix of coy and sweet. She embodied “The Sparkling Diamond” of it all. The style of singing required of Broadway necessitates a different kind of performance, and Ashley was flawless. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Satine. She was actually the understudy for Karen Olivo (the original Satine) and is now playing the part full-time, which is a lovely full-circle moment. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous.

And while there’s no doubt Aaron was a spectacular Christian (he literally won a Tony for it) and an incredibly consistent performer, I think—just as I have a favorite Doctor—that Derek’s Christian is my favorite. He has that magical combination of vulnerability and shyness in his performance befitting a young poet enamored with Paris for the first time. From what I’ve seen from not-totally-legal recordings, Aaron’s portrayal of Christian was much more self-possessed and polished (the man is so charming I’m convinced he would have chemistry with a houseplant), which I didn’t feel was as fitting. Christian is allowed to be a little unhinged, and I definitely heard that in Derek’s “Roxanne,” the raw need in his voice.

But comparisons aside, Derek just has the right vibe for Christian, plus a full, powerful voice with a vibrato that makes you swoon. And he’s just so good-looking; it’s unreal...I mean, just look at him (Gwendolyn says that I’ve always liked pretty boys, and I hate that she’s right). I’m excited to see how he’ll grow into the role, because it is still early in his tenure and he’s only the second person to ever perform it on Broadway, and I absolutely plan on watching it again.

Also: Derek’s and Ashley’s chemistry cannot go unmentioned. Post-musical, I’ve watched a lot of interviews with Derek and Ashley and their chemistry together is perfect (it was actually kind of funny because as glowing as they are and how much presence they have onstage, they walked right past me into the theater before the show and literally no one batted an eye; they just look like regular people when dressed down). They actually seem like good friends outside of the show, and they genuinely seem like they’re having fun together onstage, which I personally really loved. Their connection is feels true to the film, because that feeling—of crazy, electric, magnetic love in the face of all obstacles—is the central theme of the original film.

Luhrmann was utterly disinterested in the ‘90s Gen-X default of postmodern irony, and he wanted to make something that demanded its audience be wholly sincere about what they were seeing. This is a filmmaker who has never had much time for snark. What’s wrong with allowing yourself to be fully overwhelmed by emotion?

“Overwhelming” is a great word to describe Luhrmann’s intentions and what he achieved with Moulin Rouge! Everything is Too Much in the best way possible, including the exclamation point in the title. This tale of the poor writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) and the doomed courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) whose love inspires art, fury, and determination, turns up every visual and thematic aspect to 11. The colors are glaringly sharp. The editing is frenetic. McGregor and Kidman’s performances are straight out of an opera (or maybe a soap opera). Richard Roxburgh’s villainous duke wouldn't be out of place in a Bond movie, while Jim Broadbent’s Harold Zidler often seems on the verge of a hernia with his immense presence. And then there are the songs. This is a jukebox musical mash-up frenzy that blends together some of the most iconic songs of the prior five decades. Kidman sings Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” while the Moulin Rouge dancers take to the floor accompanied by Patti LaBelle and Nirvana. Christian’s ultimate declaration of love features KISS, Phil Collins, U2, and Whitney Houston. Not a single musical number could be described as low-key, even the ballads. That would defeat the purpose.

I did not expect one TikTok to send me spiraling back to my former fangirl days, nearly 14 years after first watching the film, but it was a happy accident because this revived obsession has led me to continue my campaign for everyone on the planet to see (and fall in love with) the movie. Is the musical as good as the movie? Of course not. Is it highly entertaining and well worth watching? 100%. I was compelled to write this in the five days since I watched it, because I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I felt blessed to have seen such a stunningly talented cast perform, a very emotional sort of homecoming after three years away from the theater. Even if you only go once, even if you’re not a musical person, it’s worth going just for the spectacle, because spectacle is what Moulin Rouge! is all about.

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