LatestMusicalReviewsMoulin Rouge! The Musical Tour

Spectacular, spectacular? More like SET-tacular!

There are touring musicals, and then there are touring musicals that make you sit back, look at the stage and wonder: how on earth are they taking THAT around the country, let alone the World?

Moulin Rouge! The Musical falls firmly into the latter category.

We headed to Theatre Royal Plymouth last night to catch the latest stop on the musical’s UK tour, and before the cast had even sung a note, the production had already delivered one of the biggest wow moments of the evening.

Because that set.

The glowing heart-shaped scenery. The rich reds, golds and deep blues. It is gloriously over-the-top, wonderfully decadent and exactly what you hope to see when buying a ticket for Moulin Rouge! The fact that this enormous production is now touring theatres around the UK makes it even more impressive.

Copyright: Banner Image and UK Tour photos Matt Crockett and Johan Persson

A Set-Tacular show

We’ve seen plenty of ambitious touring productions over the years, but this one genuinely feels as though someone has found a way to squeeze the Moulin Rouge itself onto the back of a fleet of lorries. The scenery is packed with detail, constantly changing and beautifully lit. Even when there is plenty happening on stage, your eye is often drawn to another little detail tucked into the design.

It doesn’t just provide a backdrop either. The set is part of the storytelling, helping transport the audience from bohemian Paris to the glittering world of the Moulin Rouge with ease. If there was an award for the most impressive touring set currently on the road, this would surely be in the conversation.

SET-tacular? Absolutely.

The soundtrack you know – and plenty you don’t expect

Based on Baz Luhrmann’s much-loved film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical tells the story of Christian, a young writer who arrives in Paris and falls for Satine, the star performer at the Moulin Rouge. Of course, things are never that simple.

With the wealthy Duke determined to have Satine for himself and his money desperately needed to keep the club alive, love, ambition and survival quickly become tangled together. Anyone familiar with the film will know the broad strokes of the story, but the stage musical has expanded the soundtrack into a full-blown jukebox feast.

Songs come thick and fast, often appearing for a few lines before seamlessly transforming into another familiar hit. The mash-ups are clever, occasionally outrageous and enormous fun as the audience tries to work out which song is about to pop up next.

And, naturally, the songs everyone associates with Moulin Rouge! are here too, greeted with audible excitement from the audience.

A cast worthy of the spectacle

With a production this visually extravagant, the performers could easily find themselves competing with their surroundings. Thankfully, this cast is more than capable of holding your attention.

Verity Thompson’s Satine has all the glamour and star quality the role demands, but it is the vulnerability underneath that really makes the performance work. She can command the Moulin Rouge one moment before allowing us to see the uncertainty behind the sparkling exterior the next. Vocally, she handles the show’s huge demands brilliantly, but importantly, she gives us a Satine we genuinely care about.

Opposite her, Nate Landskroner’s Christian brings a wonderfully earnest quality to the lovestruck writer. Christian needs us to believe in his almost ridiculous devotion to Satine from the moment he meets her, and Landskroner sells it. Their chemistry gives the show its emotional centre, particularly when all the noise, colour and spectacle temporarily falls away.

Then there’s Cameron Blakely as Harold Zidler, who looks completely at home presiding over the madness. Larger than life, mischievous and with just the right amount of chaos, Blakely commands the stage whenever Zidler appears. In a musical where almost everything is turned up to eleven, somehow he manages to turn Zidler up to twelve.

And a particular mention has to go to James Bryers as The Duke. It’s a role that could easily become a fairly straightforward villain, but Bryers gives him a genuinely imposing presence. His Duke is entitled, controlling and increasingly threatening, creating a tension that cuts effectively through all the glitter and glamour around him.

Together with an incredibly hard-working ensemble, these performances ensure the human story isn’t swallowed up by the sheer scale of the production.

Big, bold and unapologetic

This isn’t a musical that does subtle. Nor should it.

The ensemble numbers are packed with energy, the choreography is slick and the costumes are as extravagant as you’d expect from the world’s most famous fictional Parisian nightclub. There are moments where the stage seems almost impossibly full, yet the production never loses its sense of fun.

It’s theatrical excess turned up to eleven – and it knows exactly what it is.

The audience at Theatre Royal Plymouth certainly seemed more than happy to go along for the ride.

But there is heart beneath the glitter

For all the feathers, sequins and pop anthems, Moulin Rouge! still has an emotional core. The relationship between Christian and Satine gives the show its heart, and the quieter scenes between them offer a welcome contrast to the huge production numbers.

Those moments stop the show becoming simply a spectacular concert and remind us why the story has endured for more than two decades. By the final act, the emotional stakes have been raised considerably, and even if you already know where the story is heading, it still lands.

A spectacular night out

Moulin Rouge! The Musical isn’t trying to reinvent musical theatre.

It’s trying to give you a fabulous night out. And on that score, it succeeds. It’s funny. It’s romantic. It’s sexy. It’s emotional. It’s packed with songs you’ll recognise and production numbers you’ll be talking about afterwards.

But for us, the lasting image from last night’s Plymouth performance is still that incredible touring set. The fact that a production of this size and visual ambition can move from theatre to theatre without losing its sense of scale is a genuine achievement.

So yes, we agree the show is spectacular, spectacular.

But if you’re catching the Moulin Rouge! The Musical UK tour, prepare yourself for something even more memorable.

It is trult SET-tacular!

Playing at Theatre Royal Plymouth until Saturday 19 September, get your tickets now whilst you Can Can Can! Book Now!