Moulin Rouge at THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH
Spectacular! Spectacular! See it if you Can Can Can!
Hearing the words “Moulin Rouge” the first images that come to your mind may not be the iconic windmill and building in Paris but more likely to be the 2001 Musical Movie directed by Baz Luhrman with its lavish sets, beautiful cinematography, and iconic cast. With the movie being such a hit and a favourite amongst Musical Theatre fans, it was only a matter of time until the film was brought to life on stage. The production opened on Broadway in 2019 and was the winner of the 2020 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as 10 other Tony wins. With such success on Broadway and the later successful transfer in London, I was very much looking forward to the Tour and to see if any cuts were made to bring such a huge musical to life on the road. What I was pleased to see is that the quality remains incredibly high and that it appeared to be that only very few changes were made to the production.
Entering the auditorium, you are already immersed into the world of Moulin Rouge, the stage looks absolutely stunning, with a plethora of golds and reds, there is no front gauze displaying the title of the show and instead the stage is fully open with a large lit up show title front stage and large heart shaped arches behind. There were so many lights twinkling around the border of the stage and on stage, that before the show has even started you know no expense has been spared, and the production is going to be extravagant. The images from the West End and Broadway versions of the productions shows a large elephant on the right of the stage taking up most of the Theatre’s royal box and the famous red windmill on the left of the stage. Due to restrictions with being able to tour this into all venues these were not present during the show, however, it’s apparent that they are not at all necessary, though they look spectacular they are never once missed and the focus is purely on the entertainment on the stage.
As the production begins we are welcomed straight inside the iconic Moulin Rouge and they do not let you rest for a moment! The energy is high, the music is fast paced and booming, the songs throughout the show are mostly mash ups of pop culture hits, so many hits in fact that you wonder if there’s any they’ve missed out! Jumping quickly from Lady Marmalade, to Burning Down the House to the iconic Can, Can! The opening until closing of the show is a non-stop wild ride, packed full of fun with an incredibly talented cast from principals to ensemble. I think this is one of the strongest touring casts I have seen for a very long time.
Equally the quality of the productions scenery and lighting are also incredibly high, the set pieces seamlessly glide from the club, to the streets of Paris and to inside the elephant of Satine’s boudoir, no member of the cast is ever seen carrying a piece of set or props and everything mechanically slides into place with precision, making the show flow beautifully.
The choreography is exceptionally good, the cast often leaping into splits for the Can, Can, performing a sensual Tango De Roxanne and my personal favourite moment of the show being the opening of Act 2 with an electrifying mash up of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Britney Spears’ Toxic, the high energy choreography was infectious merging a modern club style, musical theatre, Latin and vogue styles, it was almost impossible to resist wanting to get up there with them!
Acting as the host and emcee of the Moulin Rouge is Cameron Blakely as Harold Zidler. He commands the stage exceptionally well and has the audience in the palm of his hands from the start, he is the catalyst for firing up the energy in the club throwing out witty one liners with brilliant comedic timing, narrating like a Circus Ringmaster with pizazz and performing each musical number with cheekiness and always with a pinch of naughtiness! He is able to play a somewhat sleazy character without being unlikeable and performs the role with infectious charm. In contrast to being a likeable sleazy character is James Bryers as the completely sleazy and unlikeable Duke. Despite being the unlikeable “Villain” of the piece, Bryers’ portrays the role with the perfect amount of unpleasant and creepy confidence. Notably, Bryers voice is also silky smooth and there are moments in the show where his character is given opportunities to really deliver strong vocals. There aree moments where he must perform villainous numbers set to ridiculous pop lyrics such as "I want you to love me, like a hot ride", causing titters of laughter in the audience, perfectly adapting the role to be villainous but amusing!
As the sidekick bohemians Toulouse and Santiago are Kurt Kansley and Rodrigo Negrini and they are a fantastic pair! They often have the most comedy moments in the show, particularly Santiago, and they deliver them with hysterical energy. Kurt Kansley as Toulouse not only delivers comedy and vocals exceptionally well but also has tender moments throughout the show, his broken heart over his love for Satine is beautifully delivered and he performs these moments of light and shade with tenderness and care. There aren’t many moments in the show where the pace slows down but when it does it is the delivery of these moments that makes the pause beautiful and poignant. Negrini as Santiago plays the part with such electricity, every movement is fast and energetic like a cartoon character, in a number I mentioned earlier, he starts off the opening of Act 2 Gaga/Spears mash-up with a slow, Latin style dance with Kahlia Davis as Nini, performing a Cell Block Tango-Esque performance, the choreography between them is impressive, gymnastic, and sexy and performed with immense skill.
Playing the role of Christian is Nate Landskroner, a performer I’ve not seen on stage before and I’m sure after this tour we will see and hear more of him! His voice is astonishingly good; he has one of those voices that you often hear people say you could listen to them singing the phonebook! He reaches beautiful, tenor belts with ease and the sound is velvet and clean. As well as his voice, Nate performs the character with loveable charisma, he begins as a lovesick, naïve poet and as the story develops, he becomes more confident, funny and charming, a top-notch performance.
The leading lady and star of the Moulin Rouge is Verity Thompson as Satine. Upon reading her biography it seems this role has come early into her career, and I am sure that she too will be seen in many more leading roles in the future. This tour has hit the jackpot with its cast, Verity’s voice soars throughout the auditorium, hitting clean Pop diva belts throughout, never showing off with vocal riffs and instead just impressively singing powerful anthems with apparent ease. I was equally impressed to see that her diction remained perfect during the show, quite often when singing powerful pop songs, the lyrics can get overshadowed by vocal gymnastics but every word from Verity was heard. The first moment we see Satine is on a glittering swing singing a mash-up of Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend and Material Girl in a burlesque style and immediately it’s apparent how talented Verity is and what a leading lady we are about to witness. Truly, Verity is a ‘Sparkling Diamond’ and I look forward to seeing her in anything again in the future.
If you are unsure whether to see this production or not, I would highly suggest catching it if you can, this is the first UK Tour Moulin Rouge and we may not see it again in this capacity again for a while. The ticket prices can be high for this production, though I would say for the quality you are getting, this time they are justified. I believe you can also sit in the very last row of the auditorium and still be captivated by the colourful staging, lighting, and powerful performances. Get yourself to the Moulin Rouge this summer! It is playing at the Theatre Royal Plymouth until September 19th 2026, this is an experience you do not want to miss, Come What May!
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