Review: Moulin Rouge! The Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

If you love Baz Luhrmann’s wildly popular, cult jukebox film musical Moulin Rouge! – you’re probably going to love John Logan’s stage adaptation. Yes, the story has been tweaked, and the songbook updated, but it remains a 21st-century riff on the age-old ‘doomed hooker with a heart of gold’ archetype, set around a fantastical version of Paris’s famous Moulin Rouge at the turn of the 20th century.

The central romance between the young, talented, yet dim composer Christian (Nate Landskroner) and star of the Moulin Rouge stage Satine (Verity Thompson) lacks emotional depth (just like the movie), but it still makes a frame upon which to hang a huge number of love songs. Elton John’s immortal ‘Your Song’ sits atop a heap of others, spanning Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance,’ A-Ha, Tina Turner, Steve Winwood, The Beatles, and many more. The majority are woven into the First Act-terminating ‘Elephant Love Medley’ — this is a show that loves a mashup.

Think the sort of thing Eurovision finals often do really well at half-time, just not as good.

Sound Design Challenges Undermine Early Momentum

Because, if we put the modest plot (apologies to those who love it) aside for one moment, this production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical has a problem with sound design and balance. The opening medley, based around Crewe & Nolan’s ‘Lady Marmalade,’ should be a sure-fire hit – but though the glamorous trio of Kahlia Davis, Ellie Jane Grant, and Summer Priest can clearly belt it out in style – the sound is flat and muddy.

The audio does become more vibrant, particularly after the first 15–20 minutes, but this production has been previewing since the 22nd of April, so one presumes this is no accident. Indeed, the audience only began whooping and hollering on press night when the second act opened with a triumphant, and properly balanced take on Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance.’ Until then, there simply isn’t enough sonic oomph to make up for the minimalist plot.

“Because, if we put the modest plot (apologies to those who love it) aside for one moment, this production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical has a problem with sound design and balance.”

Talented Cast and Spectacular Visuals Carry the Show

It’s a pity because there’s a huge amount of talent running through the expansive cast. Cameron Blakely is a superbly saturnine choice for Moulin Rouge impresario Harold Zidler, whilst Kurt Kansley and Johnny Galeandro make a fine comic duo as playwright Lautrec and tango-dancing gigolo Santiago. Completing the line-up, the generously sized ensemble can sing and dance with the best of them, and leave nothing in the changing rooms.

If only Logan and Director Alex Timbers invested more of the show’s 2 hours and 30 minutes in building relationships and weaving character arcs. Instead, it blurs through its introductions, including Christian’s fateful first meeting with Lautrec and Santiago, slowing only when there’s little story to tell — think grand love declarations, or odious shopping trips with Satine’s would-be ‘owner,’ The Duke (James Bryers).

Updated Songbook Brings Mixed Results

If Moulin Rouge! The Musical hopes to borrow emotions from its iconic soundtrack to supplement this lack of narrative, it needs to deliver them better.

That said… even if the sound quality were improved, the songbook wouldn’t be perfect: there are just too many songs. At its most egregious, there’s something almost schizophrenic about the way it frantically leaps between tunes, chaining lyrics together like a luxuriously produced panto. The opening 45 minutes are particularly rammed with (lines from) songs — think 10–20 every 5 minutes — Mrs QR was counting.

Some numbers, particularly those plucked from The Rolling Stones, deserve much better. Altering the lyrics to the brutal ‘Gimme Shelter’ to something romantic is one decision I would revisit.

“…there’s a huge amount of talent running through the expansive cast.”

A Visually Stunning Production With Room to Improve

Other choices are more successful, not least making the world of the Moulin Rouge a great deal queerer than its celluloid inspiration. The result isn’t just more inclusive, it’s more interesting all around. Every big set-piece — and there are lots of them – not least Satine’s glittering introduction with a ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’/‘All the Single Ladies’ mashup – is delivered with serious pizzazz.

(One only wishes Logan had used his creative liberty to make Christian remotely likeable. With apologies to his fans, a lover who doesn’t notice you’re dying, and who answers your fears of returning to the streets with ‘come with me to the stars instead’ is one to ditch.)

Final Verdict: Glittering Spectacle for Fans, but Flawed

So yes, I have some problems with the show, but the truth is, it’s fantastic in many ways. Again, if you love the movie, the chances are that Moulin Rouge! The Musical will please you enormously — it’s a gorgeous show.

Derek McLane’s sumptuous set design is an absolute masterpiece, particularly its heart-shaped, glittering rendition of the Moulin Rouge itself. Catherine Zuber’s costuming is similarly sumptuous and suitably bodacious, so it’s a spectacular spectacle for sure. Matching Luhrmann’s ‘more is more’ philosophy might seem a challenge beyond a theatrical production — that is, until you walk into a theatre overseen by a golden Windmill and a giant, blue elephant.

With the aforementioned, abundantly talented cast giving every moment their all, slickly choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and accompanied by a versatile, energetic band under Ben Ferguson, the result is a strong show with – mostly – superb production values.

In the lead, Thompson has ample stage presence and a versatile, powerful voice. She also injects some needed gravitas into a part which borders on caricature, and does so in style. Opposite, Landskroner can hit the high notes, and cuts a suitably pathetic figure as her penniless but ambitious songwriting lover. With a little more plot, they’d be even better.

But the first job of a stage musical, particularly one quite so splashy, is to sound sensational — and the report card for Moulin Rouge! The Musical reads, ‘Could Do Better.’ Had the show blasted me out of my seat musically from the get-go, I’d have far less opportunity to poke holes in the rest.

TL;DR: With an updated songbook and sumptuous production values, Moulin Rouge! The Musical will delight devotees of the film. Weak sound design, too many songs, and pacing issues will make winning new fans much harder.

All images: Johan Persson