MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL | EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★★★
‘Take a trip to the corners of your mind where your fantasies live… and your dreams come true’
Sexy, sassy and sensational, there’s something gloriously seductive about bringing the colours red and black together; if red equates to passion, then black could be said to epitomise the seminal power-play just below the surface when hearts first entwine. Add a touch of vibrant gold and you evoke a sense of enlightenment and luxury to the palette, which is exactly what lighting designer Justin Townsend does for this mesmerising World Tour production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Actually, to call Townsend a designer is to perhaps to do him an injustice, he is an artist, the stage of the Edinburgh Playhouse his canvas, and Derek McLean’s beautifully detailed cloths and set designs his inspirations. Combined, the effect is stunning both on stage and off, where a giant blue elephant overlooks the auditorium from the stage left box and a slowly turning windmill has taken up residence in the Royal Box, transforming the Greenside Place theatre into the home of the can-can.
That so much artistry is apparent before an actor has even set foot on stage is more than fitting for a musical that is set in the bohemian world of the non-conformist artistes of Montmartre. It’s in that world aspiring young American songwriter Christian finds himself falling for the charms of the beautiful Satine, star attraction at the legendary cabaret club and a true diamond in the rough.
The path of love never runs smoothly, of course, and theirs is no exception. Club owner Harold Zidler is broke and on the verge of losing everything. Enter The Duke, a wealthy man with the wherewithal to be a knight in shining armour, but there are conditions, he has his sights set on not just the club, but Satine too. Will love win out? Or will the temptation of a luxury lifestyle and a chance to save her beloved Moulin Rouge! hold sway?
‘Truth. Beauty. Freedom. Love’ – the mantra of the Bohemians – provides the heart around which this production, based on the 2001 Baz Luhrman movie, is built.
As the enchanting lovers, Nate Landskroner and Verity Thompson play well together. Landskroner’s guileless yet determined Christian may be naive in love but channels the cheeky charm and optimism of youth. He’s the perfect foil for Thompson’s world-weary but ever hopeful Satine, a woman torn between love and duty. Delicate and defiant, Thompson is captivating in the role, however, it is Cameron Blakely’s Zidler who commands the stage. Cringingly obsequious, sinisterly demanding but always affable and charming, Blakely creates a showman it’s hard not to warm to, even in his more ruthless moments. All three have an amazing vocal range that holds the audience spellbound.
They are well supported by James Brierly, whose Duke is beautifully pitched, truthful, and played to perfection, and a well drilled 15-strong ensemble, members of which loiter on stage long before curtain up – be sure to watch for the two death-defying sword-swallowers.
A feast for the senses from start to finish, choreographer Sonya Tayeh kicks things off in style with a crowd-pleasing can-can that sets the bar high for what is to follow. Slick set pieces fill the stage throughout, spectacularly extravagant routines amaze and astonish – the Act II opening number, Backstage Romance, styled around Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, is a magnificent show-stopper and the highlight of the entire production.
And talking of Lady Gaga, Moulin Rouge! is not so much a jukebox musical, more a mighty mash up of iconic pop anthems, all cleverly spliced together with tongue firmly in cheek.
The biggest show to open in Edinburgh this year, Moulin Rouge! The Musical lives up to all expectations and more. It’s here and it’s hot, don’t miss it. To paraphrase Zidler, ‘Visit Moulin Rouge and take a trip to the corners of your mind where your fantasies live… and your dreams come true”.
Runs until 14 June, tickets here.
