Moulin Rouge! The Musical Reviews

Jan C.P. from Los Angeles, CA

LOVELY SET DESIGN BUT NOT SO LOVELY STORYLINE

The set design was simply amazing, very intricately done. The lighting change and the glowing ambiance were captivating, goes perfectly with this historical theater. However, as the story went on, it definitely lacks the emotional feel but instead, lots of comedic segments with American top 10 hit songs range from 80's-current. It was funny as first but soon you realized that creative direction was clearly designed this way. It takes over the emotional state that you try to immerse yourself into time and time again. The epic love story was short lived and abruptly disrupted by distractions. Simply not enough of time and space for the audience to invest their emotional to the main characters, although two main cast were singing phenomenally. If the creative team would just let it breath more and really focus on the essence of story it would be a total hit because it was indeed entertaining, but the aspects of despair and love were not achieved on the emotional level.

Jan C.P. from Los Angeles, CA

LOVELY SET DESIGNS BUT NOT SO LOVELY WHEN IT COMES TO STORY

The set designs was simply amazing, lots of intricate details , goes perfectly with this historical theater. The ever changing light effects and glowing ]ambiance set up the mood just fine. However, as the story goes on, you soon realize that the creative direction is off from the essence of the original film story. It is more American top 10 songs driven entertainment than an emotional driven play. It was funny at first when the initial"American top 10 song" interruption occur, while it was fun to a certain degree, it continues on to a point where you can hardly take the love story between Christian and Satine seriously, although the two sing phenomenally! It missed the mark of the emotional investment that the audiences were trying to engage and immerse themselves into. The despair and love between the two main cast were portrayed lightly and short lived. It would have been a great play if the story itself can be re-balanced between lifting comedy and emotional drama.

Mary from Brooklyn, New York

KARAOKE! THE MUSICAL - A VISUAL FEAST OF LITTLE SUBSTANCE

Visually, this is what I've waited 17 years for on stage. The sets & costumes are mesmerizing, lush, and opulent. The cast is unbelievably talented. However, most (including the leads) have little substance to work with. Christian/Satine barely have time together, so the chemistry and believability of their love story is lacking. The story is rushed, disappointing, & riddled with plot holes, all because the whole show is centered around cramming in as many top 40 hits as possible (68 total music credits!). Some songs from the movie are missing (licensing?) and replaced/rewritten with gimmicky, ill-fitting, jarring, full-length versions of radio hits, making it feel more like a concert than the whimsical, magical, zany, chaotic movie world. The songs are often used as (tired) comedic relief, but haven't been rearranged to fit the feel of the show, so they distract from any emotional connection to the characters. Here's hoping the book/music are totally reworked before it hits Broadway.

Meredith from Boston, Massachusetts

WHY IS THE DUKE A BETTER OPTION THAN CHRISTIAN?

Mutu’s Duke is too attractive so you kind of root for him and Satine as they seem closer in age too. The lead couple have no chemistry and at the end of the day Moulin Rouge is about love not the spectacle which this show has. You walk in and the set is amazing. The show is just a massive fail the way it is now. You don’t care about any character. Firework instead of Fly Away tells you what you need to know. It’s all about inserting a well known current song for a crap sing a long and not about character development. Kidman’s Fly Away makes you cry. Even though she can’t sing because the words mean something. Here every song is put in to entertain and it’s so fake. It means nothing. It annoys the audience when you don’t know if you should care about a character or not in a particular scene. It’s karaoke not acting. Moulin Rouge has no heart here. It died with the film. Plus please fix the Duke. Give us the slimy, unattractive, pathetic baddie that sings like a Virgin.

Nomad from Lincoln, MA

TO PARAPHRASE A CHORUS LINE, DANCE 10, PLOT 3

Spectacular it is; no bones about it. A stunning set, flash costumes, sizzling choreography. For pure theatricality, it's as good as it gets, and perhaps worth seeing for that alone. The spectacle is good enough that, in the moment, it makes up for the embarrassing lack of character development, plot cohesion, or anything deeper than an adolescent view of emotional complexity. But it give a couple of hours digestion, and while the spectacle remains as a pleasant memory, the lack of anything resembling a worthwhile adult theatrical experience leaves one to wonder how it is possible to get so easily hoodwinked. I'd say if you go, relish the fabulous sets, but leave your intelligence, integrity and reasonable expectations at home.

from Boston, Massachusetts

IF YOU LOVE THE FILM? STAY AWAY.

I'll begin by saying this: the cast is immensely talented are are working their tails off to make this work. Moulin Rouge!: The Musical is a misfire in every sense of the word. The elegance, pathos, emotion, and romance of the film has been entirely stripped and we are left with a gaudy, emotionless tale filled with belting and great dancing. Not once will you feel for Christian and Satine. The inclusion of new pop songs is entirely irresponsible and does not further the plot in the slightest. What worked so brilliantly about the film was that the songs felt like they were WRITTEN for the film. They were so seamlessly and brilliantly integrated. It is now a show filled with song references to get a laugh. It has become farce-like. Entirely the wrong tone. I am open to new things, but this has strayed too far from the source material. Dynamite source material, in my opinion. The book completely misses the mark and I was left disappointed. A total rewrite is what is needed.A true shame.

Channing s from Boston, Massachusetts

SO DISAPPOINTED

Moulin rouge as a movie is a cult classic. I'm so confused as to why they made so many changes within the music. I feel that the original music and score was so essential to the story line and essence that truly makes it Moulin Rouge. It was gimmicky and cheap as far as the writing and integration of new music went , overshadowing the incredible talent and effort of the cast to sell a horribky adapted show. I can't say enough how truly talented the cast was and the set was other worldly. It was just such a shame the writers butchered t in the way they did, as it was beautifully cast and the technical work was flawless. I just wouldn't recommend it if you, like me , were expecting to attend with the hopes of reliving your adolescence through your favorite songs. The audience was entertained by the appropriate spectacle of it all, but emotional songs were often met with laughter from the audience due to the overwhelming cheese of the newly adapted music.

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