Indulge in a sexy spectacular down at the Moulin Rouge – just because you can-can!
I first saw Moulin Rouge the Musical on Broadway in 2019 starring Aaron Tveit and four years ago it crossed the pond to open in London’s West End and it is more spectacular than ever before!
Read my Broadway review from 2019 of MOULIN ROUGE THE MUSICAL (Al Hirschfield Theatre)
What is Moulin Rouge the Musical about?
Set in Paris, 1899, a world of indulgent beauty and unparalleled extravagance, of bohemians and aristocrats, of boulevardiers and reprobates, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the story of a lovesick American writer, Christian, and Satine, the dazzling star of the Moulin Rouge nightclub.
When their lives collide at the Moulin Rouge, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be thwarted by the nightclub’s host and impresario, Harold Zidler, and The Duke of Monroth, the wealthy and entitled patron of the club who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including Satine. Together with his Bohemian friends – the brilliant and starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec, and the greatest tango dancer in all of Paris, Santiago – Christian stages a musical spectacular in an attempt to save the Moulin Rouge and win the heart of Satine.
What did I like about Moulin Rouge the Musical?
Moulin Rouge is probably the greatest spectacle in all of the West End right now. The auditorium is stunningly beautiful, a feast for the eyes with a life-size elephant and windmill, surrounded by the most gorgeous pre-show scenery. The set design is equally as impressive, with layers upon layers of pieces that make you feel like you are zooming in on the action.
The music in Moulin Rouge is incredible. It’s mostly a jukebox show but what is clever is its use of mashups, setting the scene for what is to come from ‘The Sparkling Diamond’ which contains elements of ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend’ (Marilyn Monroe), ‘Material Girl’ (Madonna), ‘Diamonds’ (Rhianna) and ‘Diamonds are Forever’ (Shirley Bassey). The musical of course also features the iconic songs from the 2001 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor – ‘Lady Marmalade’, ‘Come What May’ and ‘Your Song’.
Who is in the cast of Moulin Rouge the Musical?
Household name Ben Richards is widely known for his roles in TV shows like Footballer’s Wives, The Bill, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks but trained at the London dance school ‘Laine Theatre Arts’ before going on to perform in West End shows from as early as 1992. As The Duke, Ben is loveably nasty in his quest to exert his power to ‘own’ Satine like she were a posession.
Natalie Kassanga stuns as Satine, giving a beautiful performance, balancing meek and mild with bold and powerful before finally allowing herself to be loved.
Charlotte Gooch as Nini, is comically spiteful, trying to ruin things for Satine but mellows in act 2 when she falls for Santiago (played by Ivan De Freitas) – ‘the greatest tango dancer in all of Paris’ which adds a fun element to the show.
What impressed me the most, was realising after the show, just how many understudies were performing that day. Some of my favourite performances were being covered by understudies which truly goes to show they deserve more recognition for their brilliance in being able to step in to a role at a moments notice.
Gavin Ryan as leading man and hopeless romanic Christian, gives a fresh, hopeful performance as the loveable musician, whose eyes are widely open to the new surroundings of Paris. Gavin’s vocals alongside Satine blended and their sounds complemented each other perfectly.
Dean Read as Harold Zidler (based on Charles Zidler, the first owner of the Moulin Rouge) is the perfect entertainer, charismatic and positive, even when things backstage are less than perfect.
Paul Mukembo as the famous painter Toulouse-Lautrec, who frequented the Moulin Rouge, gives a bright and colourful performance to match his artwork and Athena Collins as La Chocolat is fierce and playful.
Australian actor Ross Chisari as Baby Doll, looked like he was having the time of his life on stage, showing that men can wear stockings and corsets and be just as sexy as the women although there are some interesting wig choices for the character! His calibre of performance is welcome in the West End and I hope to see more of him in future.
Side note – why don’t producers allow the general public to attend ‘cover runs’?
Each time a show opens, after the official ‘press night’, there will usually be an understudy performance, which runs like a normal show but all of the understudies get to perform, to ensure they have it fresh in their minds, should they need to ‘go on’.
These cover runs allow friends and family to see the actors perform the role so that even if they never get to do it in front of a paying audience, they can still have an opportunity to see it.
But why not sell tickets to the general public and pack the houses out so understudies feel like they are really playing to a crowd?
I am sure performers would rather play to a full house and producers could make money from it – perhaps this is an opportunity to make theatre more accessible by only charging a nominal fee so those who can’t afford to attend regular performances can still see the show.
What did I not like about Moulin Rouge the Musical?
The story is set in 1899 and apart from the fact it would be misleading to say the Moulin Rouge in Paris is anything like this in modern day (it’s more like a Blackpool variety show with acts who once featured on Britain’s Got Talent) the story doesn’t really need to be set in that time period. There’s nothing more unsexy than a story of a beautiful woman who falls in love and then starts coughing up blood and dying of consumption (very common back in those days but perhaps it could be modernised a little for today).
What are my final thoughts on Moulin Rouge the Musical?
I can let the cause of death slide (as least the blood is red, in keeping with the show) – Moulin Rouge is a spectacle which cleverly takes well known songs and uses them to tell a story. It’s just a shame the real Moulin Rouge isn’t as much fun as this!
★★★★★
Reviewed by West End Wilma (Thursday 19 June 2025, matinee)
Find out more about the London production of Moulin Rouge the Musical
Upcoming Accessible Performances of Moulin Rouge the Musical
When does Moulin Rouge the Musical have matinee performances?
