Moulin Rouge!, Opera House, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

 

The cast of the national company of Moulin Rouge!, now playing at the Kennedy Center. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

Moulin Rouge!, the Broadway musical adaptation of Baz Luhrman’s 2001 film, is a big, splashy, glitzy, jukebox musical that is a dazzling display of theatrical panache. When it debuted in the summer of 2019, it was the “next big thing.” Over a thousand performances later, it continues to draw large audiences and will no doubt do so during its Kennedy Center run, which continues until September 24.

Personal disclosure: I managed to avoid seeing the Luhrman film, so I didn’t know as much about the show as I often do before seeing a production. Reflecting on the current production, I am reminded of a comment once shared with me by a fast-talking salesman: “You’ve got to sell the sizzle with the steak!” To which I replied, “Yes, but the sizzle hardly matters when there is no steak.”

The story at the heart of Moulin Rouge! is simple and familiar. At the turn of the century (19^th to 20^th), a talented but poor struggling artist (a songwriter named Christian) has come from Lima, Ohio, to Paris to find his voice, landing in the Montmartre section of Paris among a set of artists and other bohemians. He meets Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago, who are writing a play with songs, espousing the bohemian ideals of truth, beauty, freedom, and love. Christian impresses them with his talents. They arrange for him to meet their friend Satine, a consumptive cabaret performer. Sparks fly between Chrisitan and Satine and they begin an affair. At the same time the nightclub’s impresario, Zidler, who acts as a sort of ringmaster/emcee, arranges for Satine to meet the wealthy Duke of Monroth, hoping that he will engage her as a mistress and contribute to the financially-struggling operation.

Christian, Satine, Toulouse-Lautrec, Santiago, and Zidler plot to create a new show for the venue to impress the Duke, who is smitten with Satine. The Duke agrees to back the new show. Zidler reminds Satine that the Duke’s interest in her is the only thing keeping the club open. Satine (whose consumption is worsening) carries on, dutifully spending time with the Duke. Christian and Satine carry on their affair clandestinely, but Satine is becoming more and more involved with the Duke. A series of other events unfolds: Christian has an absinthe-fueled vision of Satine as the mysterious Green Fairy; Zidler tells Christian that falling in love with a prostitute never works out well; Christian resolves to ensure that Satine knows he loves her before committing suicide; et cetera, et cetera. After a final confrontation in which Christian threatens suicide, Satine declares her love for him. She dies in Christian’s arms, telling him to tell their story.

John Cardoza and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as Christian and Satine. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

The musical’s libretto (credited to John Logan) provides numerous moments of déjà vu: the story echoes Rent (and therefore its “parent” La Bohème) with touches of Cabaret. Its setting among the bohemian outcasts and artists reflects both Rent and Cabaret, and Zigler is another version of the Emcee in Cabaret.

The “hook” of the show, I think, is its score, borrowed from dozens of songs from the last century of a wide variety of musical genres, covering songs that were originally performed by singers/groups from Cab Calloway to Katy Perry, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Beyoncé, Adele, Lionel Ritchie, Phil Collins, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones (and many, many more). We even hear a chorus of “The Sound of Music.”

The show opens with “Lady Marmalade,” the version made popular by Patti LaBelle. Satine is fittingly introduced with a medley of “diamond songs,” including “Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” and “Material Girl.” Christian woos Satine with Elton John’s “Your Song,” which recurs.

Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as Satine with members of the ensemble in the "diamond songs" medley. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

I was frustrated that the program did not contain the listing of musical numbers, as is usually the case. Instead, there is an extensive, alphabetical list of music credits. The cumulative effect of all of these songs is dizzying. We often hear mere snippets of songs, not quite long enough to be able to place the source.

Ordinarily with a jukebox musical, there is a unity of some kind: Mamma Mia!, for example, is based on the songs of ABBA, and Jersey Boys on songs of the Four Seasons. No such unity can be found in Moulin Rouge! The songs have been chosen and arranged in order to further the plot (somewhat). In some ways, it is as if the creators are trying to impress us with their vast knowledge of popular music. Sometimes less is more.

Visually and aurally, Moulin Rouge! is spectacularly big and audacious. Fittingly, among the 10 Tony Awards the show received (in a ceremony delayed until 2021 by the pandemic) were those for directing (Alex Timbers), choreography (Sonya Tateh), scene design (Derek McLane), costume design (Catherine Zuber), lighting design (Justin Townsend), sound design (Peter Hylenski), and orchestrations (Justin Levine). McLane’s set includes a giant windmill on one side of the stage and an ornate and stylized elephant’s head on the other. Zuber’s costumes are outrageously colorful, well-suited for this particular kind of “show business” in the period. At times I wished I could “turn down” the volume and eliminate some of the visual distraction in order to concentrate better on smaller moments.

And, despite the scantness of the play’s plot, the cast gives their all to make it all work. John Cardoza is an eager, idealistic, believable Christian with a lush, romantic voice. Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as Satine is a strong presence but often clashes vocally with Cardoza, rather than blending with him. She sings at the same level of intensity, no matter the mood of the moment, always in a “rock” style even when than seems unmerited. Austin Durant’s Harold Zidler is a scene-stealer, suitably pompous and manipulative. Nick Rashad Burroughs makes a strong impression as Toulouse-Lautrec, particularly when recalling his own one-time relationship with Satine and clashing with the Duke during rehearsals for the new production. Andrew Brewer’s Duke of Monroth is a villainous-enough adversary to Christian for us to root against him as he takes advantage of Satine. Gabe Martínez as Santiago and Libby Lloyd as his lover Nina round out the principals of the cast, each making the most of their time on stage.

Thirty-two additional actors are pictured in the program. Not all of them appear on-stage at each performance (some are swings and/or understudies), but their number alone indicates the huge cast. They are ably supported by 12 musicians, who often sound like twice their number.

Based on the audience reaction at the performance I attended, a large portion of the audience appeared to be familiar with the material and most of the musical selections. The audience seems ready to embrace the “sizzle” of the show, overlooking the fact that there is very little “steak” on the plate. For pure sensory stimulation and smorgasbord of musical styles, Moulin Rouge! fits the bill.