Moulin Rouge! The Musical Reviews

Davcan from Boston, Massachusetts

SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGH

The stage sets the scene for something wonderful but the parts and pieces don't really add up. The use of pop music hits from the radio I was listening to driving to the theatre throughout the piece to convey the story left me feeling a bit sea sick. The main seductress and her love interest don't make much of a match; their chemistry seems as fake as the set.

Steve M from Boston, Massachusetts

RECYCLED RADIO MUSIC

When I go to see a Broadway Show I expect to see a production where the material is new, fresh, and creative. Moulin Rouge, now playing at the Colonial Theater in Boston, was created using a string of recycled songs and snippets of songs that are played every day on the radio. True, the staging was opulent and the voices were generally good but, all of staging could not hide the fact that the show is no more than a group of actors who dressed up to sing karaoke. Save your money.

Katrina from Austin, TX

BEAUTIFUL SET BUT CHANGED TOO MUCH OF THE STORY AND SONGS.

We flew from Texas to Boston just to be here for the opening. We were blown away when the theaters doors finally opened and we entered the house to one of the most beautiful sets we have ever seen. My daughter and I couldn't contain our excitement while waiting for the show to start. Lights, music, and the show started. It was different but wonderful-an extravagant blend of colors, dancing, choreography and new songs that worked to bring it all alive...that was until the meeting of Sateen and Christian. We knew this would be different and that new numbers were added but some songs just can't be cut. I'll say no more so as not to spoil it for others. The story line is changed and sped up to the point that you really don't care about anyone. Back story has been added, I assume, to help but it didn't help to make up for the story jumps and lack of chemistry between the characters. I hope that they will rework it because it could be wonderful.

Julia B from Boston, Massachusetts

PLEASE RECAST THE DUKE

I love the film but the casting here is off. Tam Mutu is good but he isn’t the Duke. He isn’t slimy enough. He is a tad too handsome ( not as handsome as Aaron but close). He is a bit dull here. The Duke creates the drama and the tension but here he is wet and boring. Rewrite and cast this character please. The new music is annoying and cheap to get laughs. One Day I’ll Fly Away is a huge loss.

Rachel from Boston, Massachusetts

SAVE YOURSELF THE TICKET PRICE AND JUST TURN ON THE RADIO

Opening night of the musical proved promising until the plot actually began. The set is gorgeous and the choreography daring and relevant. However, with the addition of modern, radio-popular songs already in danger of being overplayed the story becomes cheap and the emotion questionable and synthetic. Staples of the musical movie become mangled and even, in the case of the most beloved and inventive orchestrations and songs, non-existant. What remains is the barest skeletal and cheapest retelling of a beautiful, emotionally charged movie. Do yourself a favor and just turn on the radio, because this musical may be best summarized as a top ten list of the most overplayed, generic songs of the current decade.

Ely from Boston, Massachusetts

SUCH A DISSAPOINTMENT FOR TRUE FANS OF THE FILM

Flew from Toronto to see this show as it is my favorite film and I was excited to see its tragically beautiful story on stage, that didn't happen though. This almost felt like a parody of Moulin Rouge. While I was thrilled to see Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo on stage, they had zero chemistry (which I blame on the directing) and it left the audience confused as Satine and The Duke seemed like a better fit. Tam Mutu was too good looking to play The Duke, as he is supposed to be slimy and we are not supposed to root for him. The cast itself was very talented, but the writing and directing was just so horrible. Karen has a great voice, but "Firework" was cringeworthy. The story wasn't believable at all, and Aaron had too much spoken line explaining the story. Top 40 music was a very poor choice compared to all the classic songs of the film. Stage/costumes are the only thing that saved this, I simply cant see how it would go to Broadway like this. I laughed a lot, so it wasn't Moulin Rouge.

Kristina from Boston, Massachusetts

TOO MANY ISSUES NOT ENOUGH TIME

Positives: The set and staging The dancing The voices on offer The wow factor Negatives Nowhere near as good as the film No chemistry between Christian and Satine The Duke needs to be recast The second Act does not flow The new songs are too rushed and crammed in for laughs but miss the mark There is no story Where does the crap Duke go in the second Act? Why does Satine seem more attracted to the Duke than Christian? Everything about the Duke is wrong. Recast please. Make us care about the characters. If we want karaoke we will go to a karaoke bar.

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